


Safe and Silent

by Cygrus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-02
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-01-03 07:36:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1067790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cygrus/pseuds/Cygrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collisions can happen between the most unlikely of people with the most uncomplicated of lives, and even if it's not what was expected, that won't mean that it's bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A simple life was a dream that many possessed. While most weren’t lucky enough to gain the desired opportunity, some were happy to have it in their hands and lived it to the fullest. A simple life where everything felt fine and nothing seemed to be wrong.

Reiner Braun, young at the age of 25, led this type of life, though a bit different from what some would expect of a man like him. His passion had always been to be a famous chef, a desire to be admired by many. As he grew older, that dream became less and less achievable, and he eventually settled on being a pastry chef in his small hometown. Despite his small store only being around for almost a year and a half, and being situated in such a tiny, unnoticeable area, it had gained a great deal of popularity both in the town and outside of it.

Most of the popularity was due to Reiner himself. Handsome, charming, talented, and most of all, available, his personality had garnered the attention of men and women alike. His delicacies were worth mentioning as well. After all, he had been practicing his abilities since he was but a child. Mostly on his family, but also on very willing friends.

In owning his business, he found that his schedule switched between easy and stressful. At times, he would have too many clients and customers at a time, leaving him in a bind. Any other time, he found himself bored from lack of activity, hoping that someone would order something or appear through the glass door. When he voiced his complaints to friends, they would simply tell him that he never seemed to be pleased, but it was only meager teasing.

It was a day like that. Reiner and his employees were busying themselves with finding new recipes, though Reiner worried for a few of the workers. They were messy and disheveled and not appealing to the eyes at all. Reiner would only laugh at this and ruffle their hair, despite his hands being covered in his flour. Naturally, they would complain, but that was just how he was. Annoying in a brotherly way and perhaps one of the best employers they could ask for.

When he got down to it, Reiner didn’t much mind these days at all. They were enjoyable and left him stress free without a care in the world. Interacting with his friends left him with a pleasant feeling. The way that their laughs sounded around, and how their excited chatter could be heard, it was all great.

When their day was almost done with, the bell above the door chimed, signaling a customer. Reiner, looking like a mess, with flour covering his face and hands, and chocolate staining his white apron, appeared behind the counter, the inside of it decorated with lovely sweets that were easy on the eyes. His grin was joyful towards this new person, who seemed to stand uncomfortably near the doorway. However, when the toothy smile was shown, he stepped closer to the counter, seemingly relaxed at that moment.

As he drew closer, Reiner immediately took notice of this man’s appearance. Most of all, it was his height. Reiner was considered tall, yes, but this was just ridiculous. A good two or three inches taller? That had to be it. Reiner’s brows furrowed. He wasn’t used to this.

But other than that, this man had a pleasing face, and an admirable build. Just a tad bit on the slender side, with a prominent nose similar to Reiner’s own, and tired looking eyes with naturally dark circles underneath them, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would be very approachable at first glance. Despite all that, he wore a smile that was warmer than any Reiner had seen before. He seemed pleasant. If Reiner were to be honest, this other man was handsome. Incredibly so. He wouldn’t voice that opinion.

“Welcome!” Reiner greeted, the other nodding towards him with that same kind smile. It was cute. “Anything you want?”

After that question, the situation became strange for Reiner and the other man both. The man didn’t respond, and instead began to dig in his satchel, his searching becoming more and more frantic. His eyes had seemed to widen in panic as he dug further into the bag. Reiner raised a brow at the actions, but waited for a good minute, then repeated his question once more. The other looked to him, his posture switching from a slump to something much straighter and alert.

Right after, his hands began to wildly make odd gestures, and it caused Reiner’s confusion to only grow. Just what was this guy trying to pull? Some silly prank? Naturally, Reiner would have none of it. He asked again, and when the other tried to repeat the same act, the irritation Reiner was feeling only grew. That disdain must have been sensed by the other, as his hands began to tremble and he couldn’t bring himself to look at the other.

Hearing Reiner’s voice increase in volume, a few employees peeked out from the kitchen in the back, watching the scene. They were just as bewildered as Reiner was. One, however, was quick to rush out to aid the commotion. When she appeared, both Reiner and the other man peered down at her, and she gave a kind smile to the two men in return.

“Christa,” Reiner started, crossing his arms. “This guy is pulling some weird shit.”

“He isn’t,” she responded, stepping in front of Reiner to be able to talk to the customer more clearly. “Sorry for him. He’s very impatient. Can I help you?”

The man’s hands began to move again, and Christa nodded. That was when she dug under the counter, pulling out a pen and a notepad. The other’s expression changed to that of relief as he happily accepted the items. He frantically scribbled at the paper, though his handwriting was very neat and orderly. Reiner looked between the two, realization slowly setting in. When the man presented the notepad, guilt washed over Reiner, his jaw going a bit slack in shock and his stomach twisting in a painful fashion.

_“I’m sorry. I am a mute civilian. Please forgive me for confusing you.”_

Christa hurriedly told the other to not apologize, as it wasn’t his fault that Reiner reacted in the way that he did. Reiner was silent in this horribly awkward moment. When the man looked at Reiner, his heart jumped and he looked away out of instinct. How embarrassing.

At last, he was able to get his order thanks to Christa. Just a simple cup of coffee. It was that easy. Yet Reiner had overreacted. He wasn’t sure if this man would ever return, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to face him. However, when the other was grabbing money from his wallet, Reiner stopped him and told him it was on the house. His face was a bit flushed, feeling stupid, so, so stupid. The man seemed thankful, though, and nodded, putting his wallet away.

Just as he was about to leave, Christa asked for his name, just in case he showed up again. He seemed reluctant at first, but eventually scribbled the name down for them. Christa looked at it first, then nodded, giving her winning smile. The man returned it, then left right after, in a bit of a rush, clasping the styrofoam cup tightly in his hands.

“Can’t believe it,” Reiner muttered, flinching a bit as Christa took the rag tucked in her pocket and slapped his arm with it. He groaned a bit, rubbing the spot that was quickly turning red. “What was that for?”

“For being so thick headed,” she responded, brows furrowing. He glanced away, ashamed of himself. “If he ever comes back, I hope you apologize to hell and back.”

“I will, I will,” he promised, fidgeting a bit. For someone with her short stature, she packed a punch, in both actions and words.

Besides that, he didn’t need Christa telling him what he already knew. He felt truly awful after that encounter. Perhaps he got frustrated too easily, but he felt like utter shit. The other man had been so nervous, and had become so flustered. It was probably a terrifying moment, but perhaps something he had maybe become used to.

His lower lip jutting out, he scrunched up his nose. “Hey, Christa.” She turned to him, a brow raised. “What was his name?”

“Ask him next time he comes,” she replied, going back to the kitchen. “It’s polite that you do it yourself.”

He should have expected that answer. The girl was only in her first year of university, but still managed to talk up to her superior with ease. That was a given, though. She had been much different when she started work there last February, but had become more comfortable around her employer and coworkers, thus bringing out this personality shift in her. Everyone preferred it to the shy girl she had been. When Reiner wasn’t there, it was her turn to take charge, and most looked to her for her guidance.

Still, though, Reiner dreaded the idea of having to ask for the stranger’s name. If he were lucky, the man wouldn’t return. But that would also be upsetting. If he didn’t come back, it would show how much of an asshole Reiner really had been. He wasn’t sure if his ego could handle that crushing blow.

So instead, Reiner mulled over it for the next few days, thinking up different scenarios in his mind on how it could go. Perhaps he could pull out his charming smile and allow the other to simply melt. When it crossed his mind again, he realized that would never go well. In the end, he would just have to offer a formal apology. Include a treat with it? Or was that a bribe? Reiner felt a bit torn over the entire thing.

On a particularly chilly day, Reiner and his employees stayed cooped up in the bakery, staying near the warm oven as it baked loaves of bread. They chatted amongst themselves, seeing as they weren’t that busy. No one really wanted to go out on a cold day. That was fine with them, though. A much needed chance to relax. Reiner, however, was still brooding, much to the annoyance of his coworkers. Once he apologized, surely he would be able to get over it. The one problem was if the chance would ever reappear. It had been a week since that commotion had stirred, and the chances of the man visiting again were slim.

In order to comfort their boss and friend, the workers tried various methods. Whether it was taking some of Reiner’s tasks, or working extra hard, nothing seemed to work. It was getting tiring. Reiner was so hung up on this that he hadn’t shown one of his genuine smiles for that past week. They all loved that smile.

And it was just their luck that they would see it again soon. As Christa and Reiner stood behind the counter, restocking the sweets, she stood up in time to spot the tall man from the week prior passing by the window. She made a noise of surprise, alerting Reiner to look as well, and he stiffened. Pushing on his back as a form of encouragement, Christa managed to get Reiner out into the crisp air with a fresh cinnamon bun and cup of coffee in his hands. Swallowing his pride, he went after the other.

When he heard the fast approaching footsteps, the other turned, immediately noticing Reiner’s hulking form closing in on him. He wore a scary expression. His heart leaped in his chest, but it was too late to pretend he hadn’t noticed. He stopped in his stride, watching as the bulky man marched right up to him. Before he knew it, two warm objects were shoved into his hands. Confused, he glanced down and quickly felt a smile creep onto his lips. So that was the reason. He looked back to Reiner with a brow raised.

“I’m sorry,” Reiner muttered as he glanced away and his mouth formed a pout. A flush had built up on his cheeks. Whether it was from embarrassment or the cold air, neither of them could tell. “About the other day, that is. I, uh-- I overreacted. A lot. Sorry. Again.”

Returning his gaze to the man, Reiner watched as he dug in his satchel, bringing out his notebook. He allowed Reiner to hold the drink and treat as he scribbled in it, his tongue peeking out from the corner of his mouth. It was surprisingly cute how he did that.

_“That’s alright. It was confusing for the both of us. Thank you for apologizing, though!”_

“N-no problem,” he mumbled in response. “Um, you’re welcome anytime. Just saying. And you can have a discount too!” A snort was heard from the other, but he nodded anyways. Reiner smiled at the reaction. “So you’ll stop by more?”

_“I’ll try my best.”_

“Good, then!” Before handing back the items, Reiner paused, remembering something important. “What’s your name, if I can ask?”

The other furrowed his brows, then glanced to his feet, but soon wrote it out for Reiner to read. Bertholdt Fubar. Feeling proud of himself for gaining the information, Reiner showed Bertholdt a large and gleeful grin. Returning the gesture with a much smaller smile, Bertholdt tucked his things away and accepted the cinnamon bun and drink again. Nodding as a form of thanks, he turned slowly and walked on, but spared a glance to find that Reiner was watching him go. It made his heart beat just a bit faster and he quickened his pace, his mind not focusing clearly anymore.

\--- 

Returning to the store, Reiner felt like he was on cloud nine. He wore a happy expression for the rest of the day. His employees were thankful for that. Just as they were closing up, Christa began to inquire on what had happened.

“So?” she began. “How did it really go? He forgave you, obviously, but anything else?”

“What else would there be?” Reiner asked, knitting his brows together. “Oh, well, he did tell me his name. It’s kinda different, but I like it. And he agreed to come back to the store more, so that’s good!”

“That is,” she agreed, giving a chuckle as she mopped at the floors. “Perhaps your charm caught his eye?”

“Of course,” Reiner boasted, the comment pulling out that smug side of him. He then returned to his work, Christa doing the same. “I hope he wasn’t lying when he said he’d return.”

“I’m sure he wasn’t.” Christa really had no idea if Bertholdt would come back, in all honestly. That bad first experience was enough to turn anyone off from the mere thought of it. Reiner was a lucky man, though. He always managed to get people caught up in his web of kindness and warmth. That was why he was such a great boss and person in general.

“And if he doesn’t, it’s not exactly a loss, right?” It was Eren’s turn to speak. “We have plenty of other customers, after all.”

“That’s a terrible way to look at it, Eren,” Christa scolded, and he shrugged in response.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” He really did have a bad attitude at times. He had only been hired at the bakery because he was a good friend of Reiner’s, and no one else would take him. Christa thought him lucky for at least having Reiner on his side in that aspect.

“No, Christa’s right,” Reiner told the younger man, leaning on his broom. “We’re always welcome to new customers! It’s our policy! Besides, he looks like the type who needs to get out more.”

“No one can be as out there as you are, Reiner,” Eren retorted, going back to carrying boxes into the storage room. Reiner stuck his tongue out in the other’s direction, Christa shaking her head at the both of them. She was the youngest there, and she felt like she was surrounded by giant toddlers.

As their day ended, Reiner bid a farewell to his hard workers and closed shop, going to his apartment on the second floor of the building. Making himself dinner and taking a shower, he promptly collapsed into bed as soon as he was done. He had hardly done anything that day, but he felt utterly exhausted. He figured it was from all the time he spent that past week worrying over his apology.

Thinking back to it, he was glad at how well it had turned out, and he laughed into the soft pillow he rested his head on. Bertholdt seemed like a different sort of guy, but that wasn’t bad at all. Reiner was open to that and with the short but fulfilling conversation they had shared that day, Bertholdt really did seem pleasant in his own way. That was always nice. A pleasant customer. He had plenty of those, but he also had plenty rotten ones, too. And, just to torture him, it seemed that the rotten ones showed their faces more often with their dreadful demands. Maybe, just maybe, Bertholdt would be a breath of fresh air.

It was a small hope, but it was there, and Reiner looked forward to the days that would come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than the last. Determining a proper length for a chapter is really difficult!

Keeping his light promise, Bertholdt stopped by at least three times. Reiner figured him to be a busy man without much time to himself. He always appeared to be in a rush, as he would go just as quickly as he appeared and left little to no time for idle chit chat. Reiner would have complained, but he honestly had no place to do so. He only knew the man’s name. That was it.

Despite that, Bertholdt easily brightened up the room whenever he would show up. Always, he would wear a smile as he paid for his food, Christa usually the one to serve him with a smile of her own. To Reiner’s surprise, she was the only one in the bakery who could read and use sign language. She informed everyone that it was due to a deaf friend of hers from a long time back that she had resolved to learn. Even if said friend had moved since, she still continued her lessons at her school. 

At one point, she offered to give tips to Reiner so he could be the one to communicate with Bertholdt on a regular basis instead of herself. The idea wasn’t entirely off putting. Having the chance to learn something new and actually interact with a regular customer was an inviting thought. After all, it seemed that Bertholdt was constantly eyeing him whenever he did visit. Of course, though, there was a lingering possibility that the other was still wary of Reiner. Even if the thought wasn’t pleasant to Reiner, he would never blame Bertholdt for that personal worry.

The fourth time that Bertholdt arrived at the bakery was near closing time. With Christmas nearing, the bakery had been beyond busy with orders and clients, which was normal with that time of the year. 

Decorative cakes were in high demand for the holidays, and most of the designs ended up being intricate and ornate. It was pure luck that Christa was an aspiring art student. She was left to the difficult task and always produced something that amazed the other employees.

Entering the shop, Bertholdt was a overcome with the powerful smell of flour, frosting, and cleaning agents. It wasn’t the most appetizing of odors. Approaching the counter, he immediately took notice Reiner, who he had eventually learned to be the boss, sitting on a stool with his head in his hands. It was a worrying stance, so when he had come closer, Bertholdt reached a hand out and gently nudged at the exhausted man. Reiner jumped in surprise and Bertholdt drew his hand back, knitting his brows together. 

“Oh,” Reiner mumbled once he had lifted his head from his hands. “Bertholdt. Nice to see ya.” He stood, a bit wobbly. Judging from the bags under his eyes, Bertholdt easily assumed that Reiner hadn’t been gaining enough rest at all. After a moment of silence, Reiner groggily asked if the other needed anything. Grabbing his notebook, Bertholdt wrote out his order, which had become common for him by then. 

_“Cinnamon bun and hot chocolate, please.”_

“Right.” Reiner trudged his way around, not noticing that Bertholdt’s eyes followed his every movement. When Reiner had collected what was needed and turned back, he noticed something new written on the page.

_“Are you alright? Tired?”_

A tiny smile grew at the admitted worry; Reiner nodded a bit and set the items on the counter. “Just a bit,” he answered. “It’s been busy as hell here, with Christmas getting closer and all that. We’re working our tails off right now.” He stretched his arms above his head, Bertholdt watching. It was different how his eyes seemed to follow every movement that others made. “Thankfully, the holiday is right on us, so my personal break is comin’. It’s gonna be really needed.”

_“That’s good, then. You shouldn’t work yourself too hard! It’s bad for your health, you know. When you have the chance, take a nice, long rest.”_

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Reiner laughed. Bertholdt gave a smile in return. “What about you? What are you doin’ for the holidays?”

_“Nothing, really. I’m off work for that day, and I have no classes either, so I’ll probably be at home watching specials. It’ll be nice.”_

Reiner quirked a brow at the words on the paper and glanced up at Bertholdt before leaning back a bit, his arms crossing. He didn’t know that the other attended university. He should have guessed, though, judging by the satchel filled with books that the man always carried with him. He wondered just what exactly Bertholdt did. It certainly caught his interest. 

“What do you study?” he questioned, leaning against the counter. Bertholdt had begun to eat his food there, seeing as how they were holding a conversation for the first time. He wasn’t in a hurry, either. “Didn’t figure you attended classes.” 

Bertholdt seemed a bit offput by that, but wrote out the answer anyways. He was just glad that Reiner was taking a bit of interest. No one else usually did. _“I major in creative writing. I’ll be graduating soon.”_

“That so?” Reiner was impressed. That must have been why Bertholdt was so proper and clean in his writing. It was what he wanted to do with his life. “Any reason you majored in that?”

_“I want to be an author.”_ It was the expected answer. 

“An author, huh.” He grinned at the idea, giving a nod to Bertholdt. “Seems fitting! Your writing is already great, from what I’ve seen. And I haven’t seen a lot. It’s so proper and stuff.” Bertholdt accepted the compliment with a nod and shy smile. “Any reason to be an author?”

Bertholdt didn’t respond that time, fidgeting slightly as a blush arose on his cheeks. He merely shrugged as answer and took a sip of his hot chocolate. Reiner was a bit confused by the reaction, but didn’t push it further. It wasn’t his right to pry into Bertholdt’s most likely personal reasons. 

“Forget it, forget it,” Reiner reassured him, planning on switching the topic. Before he had the chance, though, he was interrupted by a stack of boxes being shoved into his back by Eren. “What the hell?” he grumbled, turning to the other.

“My shift is over, so I’m going home,” Eren told him, going out from behind the counter. “You have all those boxes that need stacking in the back, so I would get to it.” Reiner began to protest, but Eren was quick to leave, giving him no time.

Grumbling to himself, Reiner took the cake boxes into his hands, lifting them up with ease, and soon noticed all the stacks that remained, letting out a groan of distaste. He gave a nod to Bertholdt and began on his work, noting that no one else was left. They all left them with the dirty work. How typical, Reiner thought. Not to mention, no one had cleaned up, either. He cursed his employees silently. 

Bertholdt watched Reiner get to work, and felt as if he overstayed his welcome in the shop. He felt sorry for the man, though. It seemed like a lot of labor to do by himself. Gnawing on his lower lip in thought, Bertholdt made a decision. Finishing his drink, he set his satchel aside and removed his coat and scarf, rolling up his sleeves. Reiner was already overworking himself as it was.

Welcoming himself behind the counter, he picked up many of the cake boxes himself, following Reiner to where he had gone. When he appeared in the doorway, Reiner had just finished sorting his stack. Due to the dim lighting, Bertholdt couldn’t see the surprised look he was given. 

“What are you doin’?” the blond questioned, stepping aside for Bertholdt to set the boxes down. It wasn’t that they were heavy; just in mass quantities. Glancing up at him, Bertholdt gave a grin and stood tall again. Without his notebook on him, he couldn’t communicate properly with Reiner, but he figured that the man would get the hint sooner or later. 

Following him out of the storage room, Bertholdt went to where he knew they stored the cleaning utensils. He had seen Christa get them out more than once; it was usually because of how messy some of her coworkers and Reiner could be. 

Immediately, he grabbed a rag and wetted it down, going for the counter. Reiner watched him in bewilderment. So Bertholdt was helping out. Feeling his chest swell a bit out of gratefulness, Reiner went to him and gave a slap on the back, causing the man to jump from the impact. Reiner simply grinned at him and moved to turn on the radio sitting on a shelf in the back. 

For a good hour, the two mopped floors, washed counters, and stacked chairs. It was all in silence, the Christmas carols on the radio playing faintly. If Bertholdt hadn’t been there to help him out, Reiner would have spent much longer getting everything in an orderly fashion again. When finished, he collapsed into a chair, breathing out a sigh of exhaustion, his eyes slipping closed. Bertholdt leaned against the counter, a satisfied smile on his lips. 

“Thanks so much for that,” Reiner spoke after a while. “You didn’t have to, you know.” 

Moving to get his bag, Bertholdt grabbed his notebook out of it, immediately jotting something down for Reiner. _“I was glad to help. You were already tired anyways. It worried me.”_

“Shucks.” Reiner laughed, beaming at the other man. “You don’t hafta worry ‘bout me! I’m a strong guy, you know.” 

_“Even the strongest need help! That’s a simple fact.”_

“Guess you’re right,” he murmured, a small laugh slipping out. “You’re an oddly good guy. I like that.”

_“Oddly? That’s just mean.”_ Despite the written words, Bertholdt did let out a snort, Reiner listening in amazement. It was cute. He couldn’t help but to join in on the laughter, his weariness finally overtaking him. 

“No matter what, I’m taking the day off tomorrow. Christa is gonna be the boss for the day or something.” He leaned forward, yawning with his mouth wide. A bit of drool spilled out, and he wiped at his chin, flushing. “Shit. That was gross.”

_“It was. You just have a big mouth, so it’s understandable.”_

“And you called me mean!” Reiner did chuckle, though, finding it nice that Bertholdt was opening up just enough to tease him. Right after, he stood, stretching. “It’s late. You should get home. Don’t wanna run into trouble or anything.”

Bertholdt gave a nod, tucking his things away into his bag. After replacing his coat and scarf on himself, he stood at the door to the shop, watching as Reiner flitted about to take care of a few miniscule things. When he remembered to voice a goodbye, Bertholdt smiled widely and nodded, leaving. He gave a wave as he passed by the window, and soon disappeared. 

After he was gone, Reiner found himself sitting in silence for a good while, almost dozing off at one point as he leaned against the counter. That guy, Bertholdt, he truly was a pleasant presence.

\---

Reiner stuck to his plans as promised and took time off, and before anyone knew it, holiday breaks were upon them. The bakery felt empty and quiet, but Reiner didn’t mind that. He liked staying up in his apartment, huddled under many blankets with a portable heater near his toes. He would go spend the actual Christmas day with his family, but at the current time, he was content with being alone. 

Halfway through his day, however, he found himself growing bored with this. He had seen all the Christmas specials many times over; he could probably recite every song word for word at that point. He had repeated this routine many times over the years, and finally gave up. Heading downstairs to the shop’s kitchen, rolling up his sleeves and tying an apron around his form, he figured he might as well get something done that day. His mom had always appreciated homemade cookies. 

Beginning on his task and singing along to the radio in his booming voice, the tune ringing throughout the empty building, he lost track of time and himself. It ended up that he baked way more than needed. Cursing to himself, he decided that he would simply share the unneeded cookies with friends. They would enjoy them hopefully. 

Before he went to the family home, which wasn’t far from his own, he put the cookies in a box and dressed warmly, even going as far as to wear a beanie to cover his ears. He left the store with treats in tow and a smile on his face. Going on his way, he stopped in at a few neighboring shops, greeting the owners. His town was small, after all. Everyone who lived there as a constant knew each other.

Somehow, thinking about that, he was reminded of Bertholdt. He wondered just what exactly the man’s living arrangements were. There wasn’t any university in town, so he probably went to the neighboring city, which wasn’t far at all. It was exactly what Christa did as well, along with Eren. It was normal for students there to live in the town, seeing as how rent for the apartments were cheap. He could only assume that Bertholdt did the same. 

After he had stopped in with his parents and visited with them for a while, most speaking about the business and his employees and listening to them talk about family matters, he began on his way home again. It was dusk by then, the night air crisp and unwelcoming. He rubbed his hands together and blew hot breath into them before stuffing them into his pocket and cursing himself for not bringing gloves. Should have known better, seeing as he got cold easily, for some ungodly reason. Perhaps something just hated him.

Nearing his home, he turned a corner and found someone standing under the streetlamp in front of the store. Recognizing the tall figure immediately, he felt his heart leap in excitement, his pace quickening. The tap of his feet on the pavement alerted Bertholdt to Reiner’s arrival, and he turned to the other man, smiling just a bit. He had his usual satchel on him, just as usual. Reiner stopped in front of him, a grin showing. 

“Hey there,” he greeted, glancing around. “Any reason you’re hanging out around here?” 

Bertholdt shook his head in response, noticing that Reiner was trembling from the cold air. He knitted his brows together, giving a troubled look. Reiner noted that and waved his hand dismissively as he dug the key out from his pocket. He allowed both himself and Bertholdt into the shop and relished in the warm air that washed over him. Before he had a chance to say anything more, he noticed Bertholdt bringing out a laptop from his bag. That was new. 

“When did you get that?” he asked, admiring it. It was small, especially in comparison to Bertholdt. The man began to type away at the question, his movements swift.

_“Just recently! I find that it’s easier to communicate with this, rather than a notepad. More efficient, right?”_ Bertholdt grinned as Reiner gave a nod. 

“It is!” he chirped in agreement. “Hey, if that’s the case, we can message each other or something now. That’d be neat.” He stood a bit straighter, glancing away. “Uh, if ya want, that is. I guess if we wanted to do that, you could always gimme your number.” 

Bertholdt listened with interest, snorting a bit at Reiner’s request. _“Surely this is a roundabout way of flirting with me. Christa told me you did that with a lot of people.”_ He was teasing, obviously. Reiner crossed his arms in response and let out a huff.

“I don’t do that, and if I were, I guess it wouldn’t be working, huh?”

_“I wouldn’t say that.”_

The reply made Reiner go silent, and he stared at the message for a long moment. Bertholdt watched him with an amused spark in his eyes before he looked to the words as well. Maybe that was a bit peculiar. His heartbeat quickened and he quickly backspaced the sentence. Reiner only laughed and said nothing else on the subject.

_“Anyways, I was just passing by. I was hoping you would be here, so it’s good that you came when you did.”_

“Would you have waited?” Reiner chided, sitting in the chair next to Bertholdt. “Frozen like a giant popsicle or something?”

_“Absolutely not. I don’t have time to wait around for slow guys like you.”_ He grinned as Reiner’s lower lip jutted out in a pout.

“You really are a bully.” Still, he smiled. 

As their conversation continued, Reiner found himself watching Bertholdt’s hands as they moved across the keyboard, or how his tongue would peek out from between his lips when he was concentrated. It was probably a habit of his. Reiner wondered if Bertholdt had even noticed it himself. 

After a good thirty minutes passed, the blond reminded himself of something. 

“Oh, I baked some cookies earlier. You want some?”

_“Sounds great.”_

Reiner beamed as he went to retrieve the extra treats he hadn’t shared with his parents, letting himself into the freezer in the backroom. He emerged quickly, trembling once again. He really did despise the cold. Taking his seat once again, Bertholdt noted how Reiner’s body shook. 

_“Cold?” Reiner gave a nod. “Don’t like chilly temperatures, huh?”_

“Not at all!” he complained, giving Bertholdt a container of the cookies. Bertholdt began to nibble at them as he listened to Reiner speak. “Summer is all for me. Oh, Spring too. Spring is too rainy, though. But the flowers are nice and all that. Christa decorates the shop around that time with them. It’s really cute.” He continued on, but stopped himself when the heater cut off. He sighed and shifted in his seat to stand and go turn it back on, furrowing his brows in resentment. Something did hate him. However, he was stopped by Bertholdt, keeping him in his seat. 

Before he had a chance to ask if there was something wrong, Bertholdt had cupped Reiner’s hands between his, not looking at the man and keeping his eyes down. Reiner was caught off guard by the action, but didn’t question it, though he had initially wanted to. 

Bertholdt was incredibly warm. The man’s skin felt wonderful on his own, and Reiner relaxed a bit at the touch, originally tense. Silence fell between them in that moment, and when Reiner pulled his hands away, he murmured a small thanks to Bertholdt before going to turn the heater on. Bertholdt watched him walk off and berated himself for pulling such a bold act on the man.

While messing with the temperature, Reiner could feel his heartbeat gradually slow. The earlier action Bertholdt had performed was certainly shocking. Or, perhaps not so much that, but it was definitely unexpected. Despite that, it was a cute action, if not a bit naive. Bertholdt was an incredibly kind guy; a true gentle giant. 

Those thoughts brought a smile to Reiner’s face. It was rare to find someone with such raw tenderness. It was a gift. With that in mind, he returned to the main shop area to find Bertholdt looming over his laptop, chin in his palm. Reiner didn’t immediately announce his presence, content with just watching the other man scroll through some news website. His tongue was peeking out from between his lips again. 

Eventually, Reiner returned to the table. He noticed that Bertholdt stiffened when he first arrived, but the tension quickly disappeared. He was probably just embarrassed. That was understandable. For a while, there was an undeniable silence. It was comfortable, though. 

Said silence ended before long, with Bertholdt looking to Reiner and smiling bashfully, pulling up a document and typing a message out. _“I should be getting home. It’s already late as it is.”_

“Right, right.” Reiner stood with Bertholdt, but before the other could close his laptop, Reiner leaned over and typed out his phone number and email. Standing straight, he wore a confident grin. “Whenever you can’t stop by. Feel free to message me at any time.” 

Sheepishly, Bertholdt nodded and saved the document, labeling it as important. He stood with Reiner, clutching the device close. For a few moments, they simply stood next to one another without even looking directly at the other. Then, Bertholdt began to ready himself to head home, throwing on his coat and scarf. Reiner watched with his hands shoved in his pockets, leaning against the table.

After Bertholdt left with a small wave, Reiner locked up the shop and headed upstairs, falling onto his sofa. He snacked on a few of the spare cookies as he watched the late night news, and eventually dozed off.  
When he woke again, it was morning. Through his drowsiness and fogged mind, he could hear his phone vibrate on the coffee table. Yawning, he answered it with slow movements. The message on the screen immediately brightened him up.

_“It’s Bertholdt! This is my number, so feel free to save it! I can’t stop by the bakery today, but I hope you have a great day.”_

Reiner laughed, hearty and gleeful. That guy was something else, some kind of special. Reiner didn’t consider his life dull at all, and finding new people like Bertholdt only made it better, as if a new light was shining in on it. It made him feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Now inspired and ready for the day ahead, he took his routine shower and jogged down the stairs, opening shop with a grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I'm treating Bertholdt's muteness well enough. I didn't want to make it a big focus. Anyways, thank you for reading, and feel free to stop by the tumblr blog linked on my profile if you have questions! Comments are always welcome and appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I kept avoiding editing this chapter. I'm glad I finally got around to it, though.

A week later and it was Christmas. The day passed by quickly: visiting with his family, visiting with friends, and calling distant relatives to wish them a happy holidays as well. Throughout it all, he exchanged texts with Bertholdt, as they had been doing for the past week. Anytime his phone dinged in a new message, he immediately grabbed for it, but would brush off his excitement with embarrassment.

Reiner quickly found out that Bertholdt was rather talkative if you got him started on a subject he liked. They found that they shared a passion for architecture and carried on an hour long conversation just on that. Even through words on a screen, Reiner could tell that Bertholdt was eager, and it delighted him. Despite that, he wasn’t sure if they had many other interests in common, but he was beyond willing to find out. 

Only after the holiday passed did Reiner find out that Bertholdt had spent his Christmas alone. At first, that upset Reiner. He couldn’t imagine not being able to spend Christmas with _somebody_. But Bertholdt, being the strange person that Reiner considered him, seemed more than fine with that fact. It confused him, it really did, but he had easily learned that Bertholdt was far more reclusive than his other friends. It wasn’t something that Reiner was used to. 

What Reiner understood was social activity. His friends stopping in constantly to just bug him, going out for the night with a group of people, or staying in and getting drunk together. Aside from owning his shop, that was Reiner’s life. And because of that, he wasn’t sure how Bertholdt had found a spot in it.

He didn’t regret their new and budding friendship, though. He figured he never would. Aware that they had some ways to go before being on the level that Reiner and his other friends were, Reiner made a resolve to better understand Bertholdt. He wasn’t going to give up! Even if the situations turned bleak and awkward! And with Bertholdt, that seemed to happen often.

Keeping that new found resolve in mind, Reiner invited Bertholdt to his annual New Years get together, consisting of himself and a (large) group of friends. Very, very large. When everyone was gathered in the shop together, there was no room for whispering. A person would be overpowered in an instant. That was just how Reiner liked it, too. Animated and exciting. 

Reiner, being the good host that he was, made a point to socialize with practically every party goer that night and show them a good time. _‘Just like Reiner,’_ everyone would think, peals of laughter leaving them as the burly man told some kind of wayward joke. Even if it wasn’t good, the fact that it was Reiner telling it made it the best. He flitted through the crowd like that, but when he was done with all the visiting, he returned to his closest group of peers. There were people he had known for years and there were people he had known for a short time, but these people were ones to leave an impression on him. He held each one close to his heart.

Sharing laughter among their chatter, Reiner slung his arms around the shoulders of two of his buddies, using them as support. As the night had begun, he had already started in on the alcohol, and it was beginning to make him woozy a few hours in. He took pride in being able to hold his liquor better than others. Especially pushover Eren who already a giggling mess a few chairs away. Christa was the only one trying to get him to drink some water.

About halfway through the night, Bertholdt appeared, though he didn’t make an immediate move to go interact with Reiner. At his side was a short woman with frightening eyes and constantly pursed lips and her hands shoved into her hoodie’s pocket. The two seemed a bit lost at but soon found the booze, and right after, found an empty spot where they could sit together away from all of the ruckus. From across the room, Reiner kept a keen eye on them, waiting for his chance to move in for the attack.

The first thing that he noticed was that Bertholdt was entirely at ease around this other person. Most of the time, he was tense and shy, hesitant in his actions. However, around her, he was different. He signed to her, and she returned the action in reply. At times, his shoulders would shake in laughter and his smile would be wide, and she would give a small grin in return. Reiner didn’t know if she was a friend or something more, but he wouldn’t pry. He had a curious nature, but he was also a respectable man first and foremost!

The night wore on and the countdown for the new year began at thirty minutes, Reiner’s party guests chatted excitedly as the number kept dropping, and some were obviously sharing their resolutions that they promised to keep. Maybe. A few younger friends of Reiner’s, Connie Springer and Sasha Braus, were already asleep, leaning against each other on the sofa with drool running down their chins. Reiner had already tried shaking them awake to no avail. In the end, they were kids just out of high school, so it was understandable that they were exhausted with their new university lives. They would be angry that they slept through the countdown later, though.

When it came to other friends, some had left already, Eren being one of them. He told Reiner that he was having his own little get together with some of his friends and basically stumbled out of the building in a drunken stupor. Reiner teasingly called him a spoil sport, but let him go on his way. He just informed the other to bring his friends to the party the next year. With a lopsided grin, Eren had agreed.

With ten minutes left on the clock, Reiner finally decided to go and bother Bertholdt for the first time that night. When he found the man again, which wasn’t a tough task, Christa had since joined in on the little conversation. Bertholdt and his guest seemed to be enjoying their talk with the young girl, both listening avidly to whatever she was speaking about, and Reiner almost felt bad for interrupting when he did. 

“Heya,” he greeted, waltzing up to the group. Bertholdt immediately turned to him, a smile on his lips. Reiner grinned back. “Glad you could make it! I hope you’ve been enjoying your time. It’s kinda cramped in here, but it wasn’t too bad, right?”

Looking to his friend, Bertholdt signed something out, and she nodded before looking to Reiner. His brows furrowed a bit before she began. “He said that he’s been enjoying his time, and he thanks you for inviting him and I.” 

“No problem! It’s only natural that I did.” Reiner gave a firm nod, giving the woman a once over. A interpreter, perhaps? Having someone to say it for you rather than carry a laptop around was much more convenient, after all. “It’s nearing that time, ya know. There’s gonna be fireworks outside.” 

“I don’t really like fireworks,” the woman mumbled, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. “Oh, my name is Annie. Thought you might like to know.”

“Nice to meet you. Reiner Braun.” After exchanging a firm handshake, her grip stronger than he had expected, Reiner returned his attention to Bertholdt, and Annie continued in a conversation with Christa after she gave a sideways glance to her friend. Lowering his voice, he moved just a bit closer to the other. “You have your phone on you, right?” After a nod, Reiner grinned and grabbed Bertholdt’s wrist. “Good! I wanted to show ya something.” 

At first, he looked to Reiner’s hand, and seemed hesitant to go along. He had no reason to not trust Reiner, though. So, making his mind up, he informed Annie that he was going with the other man and allowed himself to be dragged along by the other man to a backroom. 

Reiner closed the door behind them and promptly tugged Bertholdt up a staircase, stopping in front of a door. Unlocking it, Reiner entered into his apartment, allowing his friend in as well. To Bertholdt’s surprise, it was clean and well kept, and had a lingering scent of cinnamon. Nicely decorated, too. As Reiner moved to clear a few things off the coffee table, namely just a few empty beer cans, Bertholdt admired a few photos hanging on the wall. Most were of a younger Reiner with another boy. Both seemed happy.

Before he had the chance to ask, Reiner slapped a hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder, startling him. “You like fireworks, right?” Bertholdt straightened himself, fidgeting a bit. In all honesty, he hated them, despised them even. However, Reiner seemed enthusiastic over the things, so telling a white lie didn’t seem so bad. He nodded. Reiner’s eyes brightened. “Good then! Come with me!”

Once again being lead somewhere, Bertholdt was taken onto a balcony. It was small and fairly high up, and made Bertholdt feel a bit uncomfortable looking over the edge. When he saw a chair, he immediately took it for himself, and Reiner chuckled a bit. Despite the cold air, he didn’t mind staying out there to watch the fireworks, away from all the noise of his guests. 

Pulling up a chair for himself next to Bertholdt, Reiner sat watching the sky in silence. After a few minutes passed, he began to talk. “It’s gonna be a new year. Exciting, right?” He received a nod as a response. “But also scary as hell. Don’t know what’s gonna happen at all.” 

Reiner fell uncharacteristically silent after those words, putting an unsettling feeling in Bertholdt’s stomach. He pulled out his phone, typing something into the keypad before sending it to Reiner. Checking the time, he realized that they only had about two minutes left before the new year would begin. His heart raced at the thought. 

_“I’m excited, yet nervous. An odd combination, right?”_ Reiner chuckled at the message on his phone and shook his head.

“Nah, it’s not odd. It’s normal, I think.” He scrunched up his nose. “I’m the same way as you. Nervous and excited. The future-- Can’t really tell what’s gonna happen there, right? That’s scary as shit.”

Bertholdt could only silently agree, looking to his lap. He wet his lips a bit before giving another small nod. He would be graduating from the university that year. After that, he didn’t know what else he would do. Continue living in an apartment in that small town and working his simple job? Perhaps something tragic would happen before then. Or, maybe after, an amazing opportunity would arise. The uncertainty of it all made his stomach hurt out of pure nerves. 

Bertholdt was a man who didn’t like things like that. He liked when things were set in stone and he could look forward to them. Perhaps that was why he wasn’t fond of this holiday. It only reminded him that the world was a ticking time bomb waiting to burst. 

And those thoughts pissed him off. Cursing himself in his mind for having such a negative outlook, he clutched his phone tight. It wasn’t like he wanted to think like that. It just so happened that his mind worked in strange ways. In the end, he would always keep it in. He didn’t want to burden others. 

Right before he sent Reiner another message to clear the silence between them, a loud cheer was heard from downstairs in the shop area. He checked the time, noting that it was now past twelve and a small smile appeared. He looked to Reiner, who wore a content expression as he stared up at the inky night sky. 

Suddenly, a large boom sounded above them, shocking Bertholdt at first. Unconsciously, he scooted closer to Reiner. Following the noise, another came, and then another. When he looked to the sky, his eyes were immediately met with the beautiful colors painting it and lighting everything up. Many of the party guests had gathered outside, watching in awe like young children.

Turning his attention away from the display for a moment, Bertholdt let his gaze land on Reiner. The colors reflected on his skin; brilliant shades of blues and reds and yellows. Yet, for some reason, the other man wasn’t looking at the sky anymore. His eyes were set forward, seemingly deep in thought. That worried Bertholdt for whatever reason. To snap Reiner out of it, Bertholdt reached his hand over, gently nudging him. Reiner leaned into the touch on his shoulder, a smile appearing again. 

“For some reason, you’re really warm,” he mumbled. Bertholdt raised a brow at the comment, but nodded anyways. He hadn’t really been told something like that before. “I like it. I get cold so easily. It isn’t fair.” His eyes met Bertholdt’s and he grinned wide. “This may seem a bit hasty, but I hope that this new year is good to us. I’m already considering you a friend, so I want it to get better. Just to be clear with ya.”

Bertholdt flushed at the confession and averted his gaze, then snorted as he gave a nod of agreement. Just a few minutes prior, the thought of a new year had been terrifying to him, but with those small words, things seemed to lighten in his mind. He wondered how Reiner could have had that sort of effect on him.  


If he weren’t as withdrawn, he would have told Reiner the same thing. He was a good man. One of the better men that Bertholdt had come across in his life. Perhaps it was too soon to be thinking something like that towards an almost stranger, but sometimes, people left strong impressions early on. Reiner was one of those people. That small fact delighted Bertholdt.

For the rest of the night, the two idly chatted, but became more focused on the fireworks overhead. They were loud and extravagant and pompous and Bertholdt still wasn’t fond of them. Not at all. But, with Reiner there, sitting beside him with arms crossed and perhaps huddled too close for the needed warmth, Bertholdt found that, for once, he was at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That felt like a short chapter! I don't actually know if it was or not, though. Anyways, thank you for reading, and thank you for the comments and kudos and bookmarks I've received! I appreciate all of it very much! As always, feel free to leave more. It excites me very much.


	4. Chapter 4

In the blink of an eye, January passed. The beginning of the year was a breeze. Everything was calm for the inhabitants of the town, and the bakery wasn’t as terribly busy as it had been during the holidays. The only thing that Reiner had on his mind was how February was going to bring orders of mushy letters written on cakes and cookies for the fast approaching Valentine's Day. 

He didn’t dread it. On the contrary, he thought it cute, but all it did was remind him of embarrassing past experiences that would be painful for anyone to hear. Reiner was a man who was too outgoing for his own good sometimes. Mostly, it backfired for him, his romantic escapades resulting to nothing but a good few laughs from the target. 

Reiner would keep those thoughts away. Just the smallest remembrance could have the bulky man melt into a flustered puddle. Most of the time, the damned duo of Sasha and Connie would be the ones to remind him. He would promptly send them on their way with their desired foods and pray that they wouldn’t show their faces for at least another week. 

Bertholdt stopped by as often as possible, sometimes having Annie come with him. Reiner came to find that she made a point to be quiet as possible, and Bertholdt informed him it was a bad habit of hers to detach herself from others. He told Reiner to not take it to heart. Reiner didn’t really, but he also wouldn’t have so much minded getting to know the young woman better. He wouldn’t force himself onto Annie, though. If she didn’t feel like getting to know him, he wouldn’t put forth the effort to know her. 

Still, he made a point to be polite to her, whether it was giving them both free samples whenever they visited, or lowering the price on their ordered items. It was always something. Bertholdt was appreciative, but Annie was a bit more flustered over the acts of kindness. Reiner figured it was in her nature to be silently thankful. 

However, for her, on their way out of the shop, Annie would whisper to Bertholdt that Reiner seemed like he was trying to bribe a reaction out of her. Bertholdt would only snort and shrug at the accusation. Perhaps it was true. 

The day before the holiday, Reiner and his workers were frantic in their kitchen, messy and unorganized. They somehow managed to create the beautiful concoctions that would later be given to the special people in their client’s lives. With rolled up sleeves and pinned back hair, everyone worked diligently, Reiner being thankful to each one of them for their time and devotion. 

In particular, he felt that towards Eren. The younger man wasn’t exactly great at his job, but he showed a great interest in being as helpful as possible. It was an admirable quality that would get him far in life. When Reiner would slap his back in praise, Eren complained about how powerful it was, how much it hurt, but smiled at the other man anyways and did his best to hide the prideful blush that would paint his cheeks. He did love the appreciation and acknowledgement. 

On that same day, Bertholdt stopped in, noticing that the shop was empty for the most part. Quickly, he heard commotion in the kitchen. People chatting away, Reiner’s deep voice sounding over everyone else, timers going off to signal that the foods were done. It all seemed so busy and Bertholdt wouldn’t feel good about interrupting the process. It wasn’t his place to demand attention for something as simple as a cinnamon bun. 

Before he had a chance to escape, he heard Reiner’s booming laugh from the back, and Bertholdt had to suppress a silly grin that threatened to appear. The sound was pleasant, just as pleasant as Reiner was. Despite all the work they did, as long as they enjoyed themselves, everything was certainly worth it. Maybe it even made the food taste better. Bertholdt wouldn’t know. He could hardly make a microwave meal.

Bertholdt would have liked to have said a quick hello to Reiner and the others before leaving, but that seemed fairly impossible for the time being. Gathering himself together and wrapping the scarf tighter around his neck, he made his move to leave, hand on the glass door when he was caught by Christa, who had appeared from the storage closet at the side of the room. She noticed the tall man immediately and went to him, giving a nod in greeting and one of her signature kind smiles.

“Hey there.” Everyone was used to Bertholdt being one of the regulars by now. Though he usually only interacted with Reiner, the employees made moves to speak with him as well. If Reiner had an interest, so did they. “Looking for Reiner, right?” 

He flushed in response to her question and jutted out his lower lip without thinking, wondering if it was really that obvious. It made him feel bad, too. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to hold a conversation with the other employees; it just always seemed that Reiner got to him first. That was precisely it. 

Still, he wouldn’t leave her question unanswered.

_“No. I was about to leave. You are all very busy.”_ Christa read the signing with ease and giggled.

“We are,” she stated, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she spoke. “It was the same last year around this time as well. But we can always make time for our favorite customer!” 

Finding himself flustered over her words, Bertholdt ducked his head and stood still as she laughed again. It was easy to call him that. They had regulars, yes, but not quite as common as Bertholdt had become. It was a surprise to all the workers there. After that first train wreck of a meeting thanks to Reiner, it would seem like a sane person wouldn’t want to give the place the light of day. Maybe Bertholdt just wasn’t sane, they thought. 

Or maybe Reiner was just a person with too strong of a gravitational force. Perhaps Bertholdt had been pulled in with no escape. Due to these thoughts, Reiner had to suffer through the light teasing and silly coos his workers would direct towards him. They would later be given extra tasks as a punishment.

_“Please don’t make time for me.”_ It was a helpless plea and Christa was going to deny the claim, but she was interrupted by Reiner appearing from the kitchen. His apron was covered in red frosting, and he had flour on his face. Christa knitted her brows together at how messy he was. 

“How is the best chef among us also the messiest?” she sighed, walking over to the man with a tissue. She reached up and he allowed his cheek to be wiped at, pouting all the while. 

“It’s an art form,” he retorted, and Bertholdt snorted, alerting Reiner to his presence. His eyes brightened immediately. Christa noticed the change in attitude and giggled, then worked at cleaning Reiner’s apron. Bertholdt slowly approached, his eyes on the small woman. Reiner seemed eager to talk to Bertholdt, but wasn’t allowed to move until the stain could be removed. “Come on, it doesn’t matter!”

“It does! You can’t destroy aprons left and right, Reiner.” 

“I’m the boss,” he grumbled. “I can do whatever I want.” He turned his eyes away as she gave a smile at his pitiful expression. 

Bertholdt watched without moving, holding back a laugh at how silly Reiner was acting. He was a grown man with the heart of a child, it seemed. When Christa finally finished, she returned to where her coworkers were, leaving the two men alone. Reiner immediately leaned against the counter, a toothy grin showing.

“What can I get for ya today?” he asked politely with a toothy grin. Bertholdt rolled his eyes and held back his grin as he tapped his fingers against the counter once. They had only recently come up with their own sort of code. One tap for a cinnamon bun with a coffee, two taps for a banana nut muffin and hot chocolate. After hearing the tap, Reiner nodded. “You got it.”

As he prepared the coffee, Reiner went on and on about the Valentines rush. He switched between complaining about how much work he had to do and how excited he imagined the receivers of the sweet gifts would be. At one point, he made a side comment about how he would like to be on the receiving side someday. Bertholdt could relate. Though he had relationships in the past, none were too significant for him to ever mention again. 

He told this to Reiner when they both sat down at a table together, messaging it to him through their phones. Reiner agreed with him on the subject, stating that only one or two of his past relationships had been serious. Though both were curious and wanted to know more about the other’s romantic past, neither wished to pry. However, Bertholdt asked about Reiner, working up the courage. Reiner was willing to answer. He had nothing to hide, after all.

“My first serious relationship was in high school,” he told the other, resting his chin in his palm. “Or, I’d like to call it a serious relationship, at least. We considered ourselves pretty devoted to one another. Talking about stuff like going to the same college together and living together and all that. Only lasted about a year.” 

_“And the other one?”_

“Eh, around the same thing. Love can make a man delusional, I think.” Reiner laughed, but his eyes seemed sad. Bertholdt didn’t mention that. “Love… Yeah, it could be called that, I suppose. I was with this person a bit longer than the other. After that, though, we just kinda parted. I started focusing on my dream, and they did the same. I can hardly remember the guy’s name now.” 

It took him a few moments to realize his slip up and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. In a panic, he looked to Bertholdt, whose eyes had widened in surprise. Reiner cursed inwardly and began to try and explain himself, make it seem like he had just used the wrong term. Reiner always wanted to keep quiet about his preferences around other people. It was a small town with a large church and he would rather not have gossip hanging in the air. 

Bertholdt listened to his frenzied words and wished he could interrupt his friend, but Reiner still continued. He seemed… Frightened. That was the only way Bertholdt could describe it. With a tiny smile, one Reiner had grown used to, Bertholdt placed his hand on the man’s wrist, effectively calming him. Despite that, Reiner couldn’t quite bring himself to look Bertholdt in the eye out of pure embarrassment.

After a minute had passed, Bertholdt could still feel how stiff Reiner was, and how the tension surrounding them hadn’t disappeared yet. Exhaling through his nose, he shifted and grabbed for his phone again, sending the other a message that would hopefully ease him. 

_“Don’t worry yourself so much. It’s not something you need to hide from me or correct yourself on. I’m actually glad you told me.”_ Only after he had sent it did Bertholdt realize it sounded strange. Quickly, he sent another. _“What I meant is that I feel glad that you were comfortable enough around me to say that. It makes me feel like I’m well liked and trusted in your books.”_

Rubbing the back of his neck, Bertholdt averted his eyes as Reiner read the messages. The man visibly relaxed at how serenely Bertholdt had reacted, and he shyly thanked him. Bertholdt could only nod as a response. 

If he were being truthful, that little confession from Reiner made Bertholdt feel as if he would be able to tell Reiner more about his past romantic experiences as well, but he decided against it in but a few moments. In hindsight, his memories weren’t quite appropriate to share with a person he had only known for about four months. All he ever had was flings that lasted either one night or two weeks. Nothing special.

“I do trust you,” Reiner said after a few beats passed. Bertholdt turned his gaze back to him, noticing that the blush that dusted Reiner’s cheeks was still there and perhaps just a bit more powerful. “Uh, sorry. I mean, yeah-- You’re a, um, trustworthy guy, I think! So, yeah.” He crossed his arms, nodding, refusing to look at Bertholdt. The relief that had washed over him was blissful, but the entire thing was still excruciatingly exasperating. 

Before Bertholdt could respond, Reiner stood in a hurry and nearly tripped over himself as he headed back to the kitchen. Bertholdt felt his heartbeat quicken at the man’s retreating figure, and he couldn’t stop himself from letting out a few airy laughs. Reiner was a bold person, but surprisingly shy as well. Bertholdt knew that he thought it cute, and put forth no effort to deny it.

For a while, he stayed in that spot, messing around on his laptop until Reiner returned. He was messy again, more than earlier. Bertholdt gave him a once over before snorting and looking away. Reiner pursed his lips, the red in his cheeks not yet leaving. Or maybe that was frosting. Both were possible. “I-is there anything else you need?” he asked, muttering his words. Bertholdt dwelled upon it for a moment before shaking his head and standing, the corners of his lips upturned.

Reiner began to speak again, though he was quieter. Bertholdt could hardly listen, more focused on the chocolate that dotted Reiner’s other cheek. Reaching forward, he brushed it away, his fingers lingering for a moment. When he realized what he had done, it was too late, and Reiner was staring at him with slightly widened eyes and parted lips. Pulling his hand away in a rush, Bertholdt could feel his own face heat up. He hadn’t meant to do that. Had he been reading too many cheesy romance novels lately? Probably.

Stepping back, Bertholdt glanced around at anywhere but Reiner before giving a nod and rushing out of the shop after gathering his things. When the moment registered in his mind, Reiner laughed loudly, hardly keeping it back. A few employees peeked out from the kitchen, but Christa scolded the man for not being in there to help them all. He waved it off and scratched his cheek where Bertholdt had wiped at it, then grinned to himself, his chest light. He heard Eren mutter something about him being gross, and he laughed again before returning to his work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer than usual. Oops. Sorry for the wait! Comments and kudos are as appreciated as ever!


	5. Chapter 5

A week after Valentine’s Day had passed, Bertholdt appeared at the shop once again. He had been too embarrassed to message Reiner after their little accidental moment, and he considered it better to not bring it up and risk some kind of awkward conversation. The very thought made him shudder in horror. He had never been good at explaining himself well.

At his side was Annie. On her off days, she waited around for Bertholdt’s classes to end so they could hang around together, and often escorted him all the way to his work at the town’s public library. Bertholdt always considered it a fitting job for himself. It was a place where he could be quiet and not exactly have to talk to other people. 

It was overcast that day, the clouds gray and hanging low, with chances of thunderstorms rolling in on the horizon. Hearing the weather forecast made Bertholdt worry himself, but he tried to hide it as best as possible, not wanting to bother Annie. Being his best friend, though, she noticed, but said nothing on it. As soon as they stopped in at the bakery and ordered small snacks each, she sat down with him at a table in the corner and started on her questioning.

“Are you alright today?” she asked, not looking at Bertholdt directly and being quiet. Not that anyone would be listening in, but it was better to not throw caution to the wind. Bertholdt was caught off guard and confused by her question at first, but quickly understood and gave a small nod. She still seemed unsure. “There’s going to be thunder and stuff.”

 _“I know. I’ll listen to music if it gets too bad. Don’t worry about me.”_ He was grateful that she did care, but he didn’t want her to be troubled by fretting over him. 

“Just message me if you need me to pick you up later,” she mumbled, looking at the dark liquid in her cup, the steam rising and caressing her face. Generally, she wasn’t this affectionate, but it was a different story with Bertholdt. “And don’t hesitate, either. If you do that, I’ll be angry.” The corners of her lips turned up, her eyes just barely meeting Bertholdt’s. “And you know how I am when I’m angry.”

 _“I understand. Thank you.”_ Bertholdt returned her smile before he looked away and nibbled at his muffin. He could only watch Reiner chat with Christa behind the counter and, before long, met his eyes. They exchanged smiles, but nothing else happened, and Reiner quickly went back to Christa. Annie kept her eyes on Bertholdt the entire time. 

Her friend had always been on the shy side, reclusive and distancing himself from others. It had been that way ever since they had first met. And, throughout their long friendship with one another, it remained like that. Bertholdt had confessed that she was one of the only people he felt he could truly open up to at times, and she returned the sentiment. It had always been them. 

Naturally, both had other friends, but those relationships weren’t like the bond they shared. However, it had only been recently that Bertholdt had begun to open up little by little. It was particularly when he was in this tiny shop. The people in it were kind, yes, and the food was good, but she couldn’t say much else for it. Then again, she didn’t visit as much as Bertholdt did. Not even close.

She caught onto the budding friendship between her friend and the owner of the bakery easily. Bertholdt had always praised her on her sharp senses. The only impression Annie had of the man was that he was loud, outspoken, and probably a bit thick in the head. Bertholdt had entirely different thoughts about him, though. He told her frequently of the conversations the two shared, and she listened in silence, sometimes snorting when Bertholdt would talk of how he possibly embarrassed himself. She was glad that Bertholdt was branching out, but she never quite expected it in this sort of person.

Close to mentioning something about it, she was interrupted by Bertholdt showing her the time on his phone. Cursing, she stood in a hurry. If she wasn’t quick, she would be late for work, and that couldn’t happen again. Bertholdt stood with her, pulling her into a quick hug, and she allowed it to linger. This guy was truly too tall. When they separated, she caught sight of Reiner staring them both down. She held his gaze for a moment before going on her way, waving at Bertholdt as she left the shop.

Once his friend had left, Bertholdt went to the counter, leaning against it with his usual tiny smile. He sent a message to Reiner, who quickly went to check it. _“You guys don’t seem too busy today. I have to wonder if you ever actually get off days, though.”_

“We do,” Reiner answered, huffing as glanced away. “We just like to stay on our game. I think I’m gonna leave the shop to Christa for a few days next week, though.”

 _“That so? We should hang out then. I should be free if we plan ahead.”_

“Exactly my thoughts!” Reiner beamed, glad that they were on the same wavelength. “But what could we do?”

 _“Catch a movie? Or go to the city over and find something to do there.”_

“A movie sounds good,” Reiner hummed, rubbing his chin. He fell into silence, thinking of the listings out at that time. “Action? Horror?” 

At the suggestions, Bertholdt grew wary, his lips pursed. Between explosions and loud scares, neither appealed to him. He didn’t want to tell Reiner this. He didn’t want to be a bother. Instead, he suggested a comedy movie. Reiner agreed to that, much to his relief.

Once they had made their plans, Bertholdt made move to depart from the store, giddy with excitement. This would be their first outing together; a guy night. Bertholdt had never really had that before and he could practically leap for joy.

Right before he could leave the shop, though, a sudden crack of lightning shot through the sky and a boom of thunder sounded. Bertholdt hadn’t even realized that it had started raining in his time there, as he had been too distracted with Annie and Reiner. The lightning didn’t bother him. The thunder caused him to trip over himself and fall against the glass door, eyes wide and heart beating fast. Just a moment after, the same thing happened, the sky rumbling with its dark clouds, and he wondered if God possibly hated him.

He was still except for his trembling legs and shaking hand. He didn’t notice when Reiner set a hand on his back, and he could barely move to sit down at a table. He didn’t answer when Reiner asked if he was alright, and simply shook his head when asked a second time, his eyes squeezed shut. In silence, Reiner sat with him, allowing the distressed man to calm himself. It took a good five minutes. 

“What was that about?” Reiner asked quietly, rubbing Bertholdt’s shoulder and giving comforting squeezes. Bertholdt still shook, but it had slowly died down. Thank goodness. 

He didn’t receive an answer. Before long, Bertholdt stood and took out his phone. After he sent a message to someone, he glanced at Reiner. He looked ready to cry. Typing out another message, he sent it to Reiner this time and then held his phone close, his grasp tight. Reiner immediately read it. 

_“Sorry. I’m not feeling well, so I think I’ll be heading home.”_ As soon as he skimmed it over, Reiner stood with Bertholdt, moving away from him and telling him to stay put. He returned but a few moments later, slipping on a jacket and holding an umbrella. It was still raining out there. He didn’t want to risk Bertholdt getting wet and catching some kind of illness. 

Though Bertholdt tried to deny the act of kindness at first, he was soon being lead home by Reiner, his arguments holding no strength behind them. At some point in their time knowing each other, he had given Reiner the address to his apartment. He didn’t remember when that had happened, but he was glad it had. Reiner stuck close to Bertholdt, holding the umbrella above both of their heads as they walked along. The nice warmth that radiated off of Bertholdt was still there, and Reiner had maybe gotten too close in their walk, his cheeks pink from the wind and rained that whipped at them.

The storm had mostly come to a halt, and in its place came a light drizzle. Bertholdt could feel a few drops hit his cheek from time to time, but only made a noise if one traveled its way into his eye. He would constantly glance at Reiner, who kept his gaze ahead. He knew the other man was confused, but he was glad that there were no uncomfortable questions that he wasn’t willing to answer. Reiner was a good man.

Reaching Bertholdt’s apartment wasn’t difficult. He allowed Reiner to enter, though he was hesitant to do so. Once inside, Reiner immediately noticed that it wasn’t as tidy as he had imagined it to be. There were books and papers scattered about, jackets and scarves slung on the back of a sofa, and a mess of wires connected to a game station and television. Bertholdt seemed like the kind of guy to keep his area cleaner than this, so it was a bit of a shock at first. Not mentioning anything about it, Reiner stood awkwardly in the doorway, allowing Bertholdt to move about the room and clean his mess up. 

When Bertholdt was satisfied, he nodded to the couch, inviting Reiner to sit. He did so and watched Bertholdt retreat into a room just off the living area. He returned with two mugs of coffee after just a few minutes. Taking a seat next to Reiner, he sipped at his drink, waiting for the other to start some sort of conversation. Reiner watched him from the corner of his eye as he sniffed the bitter liquid. He took a test sip, and had to swallow roughly. It was terrible. Absolutely terrible. 

Reiner made a disgruntled noise and Bertholdt noticed, smiling at Reiner’s twisted and disgusted expression. He never was at making things, even if they were as simple as a cup of coffee. Reaching over, he took the mug from Reiner’s hands and set it on the coffee table in front of them. Reiner gave a sorry look, but Bertholdt shook his head, silently assuring him that it was totally fine. 

“Your place is nice,” Reiner commented, finally speaking. Despite how unorganized it all was, it was pretty high quality for a university student. A minute later, his phone vibrated in his pocket. 

_“Thanks. I’m only really ever home during the night, so I don’t spend much time here.”_

“It’s ‘cuz you’re always visiting me,” Reiner teased with a toothy grin. Bertholdt snorted and replied.

 _“That’s partly the reason.”_ He smiled as Reiner went quiet and turned his eyes away, his lower lip jutting out ever so slightly. The man was definitely easily embarrassed. 

“Anyways,” he muttered, “That’s a PlayStation, right?” Bertholdt nodded, remembering he actually had the old thing. He had owned it for a long time, hardly recalling when it had been given to him as a birthday gift from his uncle. “Haven’t played with one of those in ages. Wouldn’t mind it again.” 

Bertholdt brightened up at that. He wasn’t an avid gamer, but it was a nice pastime. Playing alone grew boring, though, and he hadn’t touched it for a long time. He didn’t like playing with Annie, either. No matter what, she always managed to beat him at whatever they were doing. It was unfair. Perhaps Reiner would be a different case. 

He stood and grabbed the controllers up, leaning down to find a good game on the bottom of his shelf. With shimmering eyes, he turned the console on and fell back onto the sofa. When the game started, Reiner’s expression lit up.

 _“Tekken?_ This definitely brings back memories!” He bit his lip in excitement and anticipation, and Bertholdt found himself a bit mesmerized by Reiner’s sudden childish outlook. He smiled, however, and they both began.

It didn’t take long for there to be many frustrated grunts and whines on Reiner’s end. He forgot he had been terrible at this game when him and Berik used to play. It turned out that Bertholdt was a total beast at this game and completely annihilated him each round. Reiner won once, and that was only because he had knocked the controller out of Bertholdt’s hands and whooped as he beat his friend’s character into the ground. 

By the time they finished, it was an hour and a half later, and Reiner was a pouty mess, a lump in his throat. He hated losing. Bertholdt, however, was only rubbing it in by leaning his head back with laughter. He gasped for air as his shoulders shook and he snorted, clutching his stomach and covering his mouth, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Reiner just couldn’t catch a break. 

He made move to complain about it, but stopped in favor of simply watching Bertholdt. His smile was the largest Reiner had ever seen it, and those tears threatened to overflow. His laugh was wheezy, but the snorts only made Reiner purse his lips to keep himself from breaking into a fit of laughter as well. It failed, and he was soon leaning against Bertholdt, his barks of laughter strong and intense.

When they managed to catch their breath again, Reiner glanced up at Bertholdt, only to find that the other was already looking down at him. They grinned at each other before turning their eyes away, and silence fell between them. Neither tried to move from their current position with Reiner’s cheek pressed against Bertholdt’s shoulder and Bertholdt’s hand resting on Reiner’s knee. What they had going was comfortable; an easy air that neither could complain about. 

“Hey,” Reiner spoke after a while, his voice quiet. Bertholdt looked to him with a brow raised. “I don’t wanna sound rude, but do you ever get sad?” 

Bertholdt didn’t understand at first, but the question quickly registered for him. He was just surprised that Reiner hadn’t asked about it earlier. His expression grew soft and the smile remained as he shook his head in reply. Reiner, surprised, sat up straight.

“Really?” He waited as Bertholdt sent a message to him, feeling anxious as to what the other had to say.

 _“I guess I shouldn’t say that I don’t get sad every once in a while. I do, but not as often as people would think. It’s been like this ever since I was born. Whenever I was younger, I was upset by it more often because kids are cruel. But as I grew older, I understood that I couldn’t do much of anything about it, so I chose to embrace it instead. Cheesy, right?”_

“Not at all!” Reiner quickly exclaimed. He was amazed at Bertholdt’s mentality on it. “That’s a great way of looking at it. Really.” 

_“You think? I’m glad.”_ Bertholdt smiled bashfully, his cheeks heating up. _“Plus, I wouldn’t have met Annie if it weren’t like this. Her father was deaf. When I was taking sign language classes, she was in the same class as me, purely for her father’s sake. We helped each other a lot, so we became sort of inseparable. But she went to a different school than me, so it made it kind of hard to meet up, but we managed. We’ve been friends ever since.”_

Reiner felt his heart warm at the story. Bertholdt was lucky to have his closest friend there with him for that incredible amount of time. Annie must have been more of an amazing person than Reiner had originally thought. “That’s really nice,” he mumbled, rereading the message on his phone again. “You’re kind of inspirational, ya know.”

 _“I don’t think so at all. I’m not the only one who thinks like this. I don’t consider myself special or anything.”_ Bertholdt rubbed the back of his neck and Reiner chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Well, maybe not to yourself, but you’re certainly something incredible to me.”  
Bertholdt felt his heart twist at the comment, but kept his gaze locked with Reiner’s. He had never heard someone say that to him before. At first, he almost thought that Reiner was teasing him, shortly reliving the mocking tone his old classmates used to address him in.

But Reiner was smiling at him and his eyes were kind, and he moved a hand to squeeze Bertholdt’s knee. Bertholdt quickly snapped himself out of his negative thoughts and realized that Reiner had absolutely no ill intentions towards him, and he scooted closer with an air of glee surrounding him.

“What? Was that an embarrassing thing to say?” Reiner speaking again took Bertholdt out of his trance and he quickly shook his head.

_“Thank you. No one has ever said that to me before.”_

“Seriously?” Reiner was obviously caught off-guard by this fact, though it was no big deal. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m gonna say it again! You’re incredible!”

 _“Thank you again.”_ Bertholdt snorted averted his eyes and hurriedly typed up another message. _“I think you’re incredible, too.”_

“Thanks,” Reiner mumbled, pressing himself against the couch cushion. They were quiet for a few moments, thinking on what the other had spoken, their chests filled with positive emotions. “Bet I can win this time around.” 

_“Doubtful.”_

Both knitted their brows together, ready for the challenge of a few more rounds, and neither were quite sure of when they had lost track of time. When Reiner began to head home, they exchanged grins, feeling that there was absolutely nothing that could break this happiness that they had shared with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever to get out and I apologize for that. Thank you for the kind comments that have been left!  
> I hope I'm progressing their relationship well and I hope I'm still handing the topic well. Gosh.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get gay.

The outing they had planned arrived faster than Reiner had anticipated, and he found himself entirely unprepared. Making sure he was showered on the day of and dressed as warmly as possible, he set out without acknowledging that he was probably leaving an hour too early. Oh well, he thought. Early bird catches the worm.

The weather was surprisingly nice for late February and most of the people that passed were wearing simple hoodies and scarves here and there, but that didn’t stop Reiner from shivering in his winter coat, zipped all up. He must have looked pathetic and surely Bertholdt would point it out. Sniffing and shoving his hands into his pockets, Reiner’s eyes darted back and forth, on the lookout for the taller man. 

When Reiner was basically straining himself to stay warm, he turned on his heel to go into the theater without Bertholdt and maybe buy their tickets ahead of time. That wasn’t right, though. They had promised to meet each other _outside_ , and Reiner would be damned before he broke that promise. It was over the top and, frankly, rather silly, but Reiner’s stubbornness was just one of those qualities he possessed. 

That guy was a solid ten minutes late, and those mere ten minutes had left Reiner a trembling mess with the winds beating at his face. Why did no one else seem to be affected by this terrible cold? Why the hell wasn’t it summer? Reiner could ask all the questions he wanted as he leaned against the brick walls of the theater. All they did was distract him and cause him to not even notice the first few taps on his shoulder. 

A warmth replaced the taps right after and Reiner was snapped from his thoughts, looking at Bertholdt with a blank expression. Seeing the sorriest smile his eyes had ever come across, Reiner exhaled and returned it as he hoisted himself off the wall, taking Bertholdt’s arm and rushing into the theater with absolutely no hesitation. 

Once inside, he left Bertholdt for a short amount of time to purchase their tickets and popcorn, the buttery scent enveloping him. One thing about popcorn; it was warm. Warm and delicious. 

Returning to Bertholdt with a broad grin on his face, Reiner handed him his ticket, receiving a nod as a thank you. “We better get into the theater,” he hummed. “So we can get good seats, ya know? Not too far in the back, not too upfront—Yeah.”

Bertholdt snorted, listening with a tiny smile, and walked past his friend a moment later so they could actually go grab those seats Reiner was talking about. He heard the other man follow him, complaining and requesting he not leave him behind.

Finding their seats and getting comfortable was easy, the two men finding that the theater was empty except for a few couples. They exchanged a glance and Reiner gave a small laugh with a shrug of the shoulders, moving along. When the previews began, Bertholdt dug into his satchel and brought out two bottled sodas and a few boxes of candy, grinning sheepishly when Reiner raised a brow.

_“It’s cheaper this way.”_

Well, Reiner definitely couldn’t disagree.

After that message was sent, Bertholdt made sure to tuck his phone away, leaning back in the seat and taking a few pieces of the popcorn for himself as the previews passed one by one. Reiner did the same, allowing his gaze to fall on Bertholdt every so often. Judging by the glint in his eyes at some of the movie previews, Reiner could tell what he was interested in seeing, and made a mental note of the titles for future reference. Maybe movie nights could be a thing for them.

Throughout the course of the film, Reiner erupted into laughter along with a few other movie goers. Bertholdt didn’t find the film as hilarious, but something about Reiner’s laugh was contagious, and his body practically forced him into joining the guffawing man. Reiner peeped over at him once in a while, nudging the man with his elbow when he caught him snorting at a crude joke the movie had made. Bertholdt shook his head and covered his mouth, his eyes leaving Reiner’s glittering ones. 

About two hours later, the movie ended, leaving Reiner gasping for air with a sharp pain in his gut. Bertholdt watched him with soft eyes and an admiration for that bellowing laugh that belonged to the blond. He stood up after another minute as Reiner worked to catch his breath, motioning for them to get going.

Leaving the theater, Reiner was reminded that the weather was truly merciless. It was getting to be later in the evening, the wind was picking up, and Reiner cursed as the cold hit him head on. A shiver passed down his spine and he moved closer to Bertholdt, pressing their shoulders together as he remembered that natural and radiant warmth that Bertholdt emitted. Bertholdt noticed how Reiner quivered and a snort sounded, Reiner huffing right after he heard it, glowering up at his friend. Quirking a brow down at him, Bertholdt slowly slipped an arm around Reiner’s shoulders, feeling the shorter man relax in his hold.

With no new destination set in stone, the two men stayed like that, leaning against the wall of the theater. Reiner breathed warm air into his palms and continuously rubbed them together, causing Bertholdt to wonder if he had even considered bringing gloves. Surely someone who could get this chilled would count that as an option, right?

Bertholdt gave a light squeeze to Reiner’s shoulder, digging into his pocket to pull out his phone. Reiner peeked over and stood straighter, watching as Bertholdt typed his message out. 

_“Cold, right? Let’s go eat.”_

The nod of agreement came quickly, Reiner grabbing Bertholdt’s wrist and pulling him through the crowds of people. After a minute of leading the way, Reiner let Bertholdt take control. He wasn’t as used to the city as his friend seemed to be. Bertholdt knew his way perfectly, navigating the streets with ease, even pausing in his stride to wave at a few people he seemed to know, his smile polite.

The bar that they stopped at was cozy and small, located in an alley that Reiner would have never thought of checking. He wasn’t used to places as nice as this being placed in such odd spots. Grabbing a table for themselves, the two men ordered their food and Reiner leaned back in his chair, shedding the coat he wore.

“Does God hate me? He must hate me, ya know. It’s cold as dicks out there.”

He grinned when Bertholdt gave a nod of agreement, though the other didn’t find it nearly as chilly. He had come out in a jacket and scarf and that was really it. The cold barely affected him.

When their food arrived, Bertholdt learned that Reiner ate like a truck, and that he wasn’t exactly a polite eater. He probably should have realized from how messy the man could get back at the bakery. During their meal, Bertholdt had to hand his friend many napkins, feeling amused and grossed out all at the same time. 

Paying for the food and thanking the employees there, they were on the sidewalks again, the sun almost all the way down in the sky. A dim light shone on them and it was just a tad bit warm, but not nearly enough. Reiner still shivered inside of his coat and stuck close to Bertholdt, just as he had before. The way he grumbled under his breath with a husky voice made Bertholdt smile to himself. What a bitter man. 

They explored the city for another good hour, sometimes stopping in at stores to either admire the contents or to warm Reiner up for five minutes at the most, Reiner leering when Bertholdt would leer and send a teasing text. When the third taunting message arrived, Reiner called his friend a horrible and terrible bully, but leaned against him anyways with a pout on his lips, ignoring that coy look on the man’s face. 

When the night sky had overtaken the city, they began on their walk home, Reiner complaining through it all. When he at last shut his mouth, the only sounds that surrounded them were their resounding footsteps on the pavement and the wind whistling past their ears. Bertholdt honestly enjoyed the silence, but it was obvious Reiner was getting antsy about it. He was the type who needed some sort of constant action or noise and that was something, Bertholdt realized, that he couldn’t provide.

Knowing this, he was glad when they reached the shop in town, the time nearing ten o’clock. They stood near the entrance for a few moments, Bertholdt typing out a goodbye text to his friend. When he made his move to walk away and head to his apartment, Reiner voiced his protest and grabbed his wrist, making Bertholdt jolt. Tilting his head to the side, he watched Reiner unlock the store and head inside, gesturing for him to follow. Exhaling through his nostrils, Bertholdt did as told, his brows knit together.

“You can stay the night here,” Reiner told him, stripping off his coat and throwing it over his shoulder. Bertholdt pursed his lips at the offer, not sure if that was a good idea. He had work the next day. “It’s already dark out. It isn’t dangerous around here or anything, but better safe than sorry, I guess.”

 _“I appreciate it, but I’m a grown man. I think I’ll be fine going home by myself.”_ Despite his response, Reiner would have none of it. Eventually, Bertholdt gave in and agreed to stay, though he was reluctant.

For a while, the two of them sat around in Reiner’s living room, Bertholdt typing away on his laptop that Reiner hadn’t even realized he had brought. After a while, he found himself focusing on Bertholdt’s long and slender fingers, rather than watching the TV that played in front of them. It was way more interesting than the drama that was on the screen, so he turned it off and leaned closer to his friend, wanting to break the silence.

At first, he offered Bertholdt something to eat. He declined, not wanting to be a bother to his host, but Reiner continued to insist. It was hard to say no to the other man. With a small sigh, Bertholdt looked at him with brooding eyes. His expression didn’t bring Reiner down, though, and he took Bertholdt’s hand while beaming and led him to the kitchen. Grabbing two aprons from one of the drawers, he helped Bertholdt tie it in the back, the man slumping in the process. This was an incredibly bad idea.

Stepping back to admire his friend in the apron, Reiner gave an approving nod and toothy grin, slapping Bertholdt’s back with his strong hand. After that, he began to dig in his fridge and pantry, pulling out different ingredients and kitchen utensils. All Bertholdt could do was stand around and watch, wishing he could go back to his computer. The kitchen and him were not a good mix. 

Five minutes later and he was leaning against the counter, watching Reiner’s flour covered hands knead the dough, leaving small indents in it from his fingers. Bertholdt wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not, since his friend was outright ignoring him now, completely entranced by his work. Bertholdt hadn’t even wanted to join him in this in the first place.

Reiner caught onto the glowering aura soon enough, peering over at Bertholdt and raising a brow. A smirk worked its way onto his lips and he leaned back, cocking his head to the side. Bertholdt turned his eyes away and crossed his arms, but it wasn’t for long. Placing a hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder, Reiner tugged him over to where he had been standing, making him stay in place. 

“Just roll the dough like this,” he instructed, giving a quick demonstration with shimmering eyes. Bertholdt could feel a cold sweat break out on his body, but he tried his best to imitate the action. Reiner was quiet for a few beats but shook his head and stopped him. “Too rough. Ya have to be gentle with it. Like, uh, holding a baby bird.” Bertholdt gave him a sullen look and Reiner sighed, thinking it over. “Just gentle! Like you! A gentle giant.”

Holding his tongue so he wouldn’t let a resentful grunt sound, Bertholdt started again, being as “gentle” as possible. Reiner gave praise and watched closely, though he wondered how such beautiful hands could be so unforgiving and harsh. Growing nervous at Reiner’s piercing eyes examining his every movement, Bertholdt tried to focus his mind on the dough entirely. Reiner’s gaze was fierce and intimidating; a complete opposite from the owner. 

Gnawing on his lower lip, Bertholdt hardly noticed Reiner placing his hand over his, too wrapped up in his own concentration. When he did realize, though, his heart skipped a beat and the cold sweat grew rapidly. He just hoped his hands wouldn’t begin to tremble.

Reiner slowly helped him, Bertholdt growing tenser with each passing second. The clock in the kitchen was too loud. Choosing to not move and let Reiner do what he needed to, Bertholdt stood still and watched, his eyes darting back and forth, sometimes going to Reiner’s face and back to their hands. Swallowing thickly and taking a deep breath, Bertholdt pulled away and stood by Reiner’s side, finding he was more content with watching instead. Reiner paused when Bertholdt moved and spared him a glimpse, and Bertholdt fretted for a moment, wondering if he had done something wrong. But all Reiner did was smile and went right back to his work, making Bertholdt’s heartbeat slow in relief.

After that, time seemed to pass by slowly, but Bertholdt grew to be just fine with that. Watching Reiner do his thing was nice and enjoyable and actually pretty relaxing. When Reiner placed the cookies in the oven, he turned on his radio and began to do the dishes, Bertholdt deciding to join him. He could do that much. One thing that Bertholdt noticed was that Reiner would sway his hips to the beat of the music and pleasantly hum along. Bertholdt had to stop and stare at him for a good few seconds, Reiner glancing over with a questioning look. Shaking his head and withholding a snort, Bertholdt began drying again, the corners of his lips perked up.

When the baking time for the sweets was at the halfway mark, Reiner took a seat at the dining table and motioned for Bertholdt to join him. Both seated with the smell of the cookies wafting through the room, Reiner began to talk, not really having a beginning topic. It dissolved into mindless chatter and Bertholdt rested his chin in his palm, comfortable with just listening and not adding anything to the conversation. 

As Reiner began to ramble on without aim, Bertholdt interrupted with a text, stating that he needed a shower. Reiner nodded and directed the way. Bertholdt gave his thanks and headed to the location, stripping down and stepping into the tub, lost on what he would be doing for night clothes. Where would he even sleep?

Finishing up and keeping a towel around his waist, he returned to the kitchen, finding Reiner dozed off with his head on the table and the plate of cookies next to him. They smelled incredible and Bertholdt’s stomach audibly growled. Ignoring that, he approached Reiner and grabbed his phone off the table, snapping a quick picture of his surprisingly scary sleeping face before shaking his shoulder to wake him.

“Mnn…” Lazily opening his eyes, Reiner sniffed the air once and hummed. “Smells nice,” he commented in a soft tone. Bertholdt snorted and stood straight, allowing Reiner to sit up and rub at his eyes. Wiping the drowsiness from them, he squinted up at his friend and raised a brow. “What’s up?”

Looking Bertholdt over once, Reiner understood the problem and he stood, rubbing the back of his neck with a faint blush dusting his cheeks. After leading his friend to the bedroom and digging in one of the dressers, he tossed the man a pair of sweatpants and a large t-shirt, falling onto his bed right after and shutting his eyes. 

Inspecting the garments in his hands, Bertholdt stood still for a few moments, the water dripping onto the floor. He wasn’t even sure if they would fit. Reiner was shorter than him, but also bulkier. It would probably be fine. Besides, he was only wearing them for one night. 

He turned his back to Reiner and began to slip the clothing on, but paused when he found the mirror in front of him. His eyes meeting those of his reflections, he stood still for a bit, clutching the shirt firmly. 

Still dazed, overcome with exhaustion from his day, Reiner could barely open his eyes. When he managed, everything was blurry, and he reached over to where he could turn on a bedside lamp. It didn’t help much, but it did help him to see Bertholdt clearly. Lifting himself up on his elbows, Reiner gazed in confusion, realizing that Bertholdt was pretty focused on his reflection and had probably not even noticed the dim light glowing in the room now. Allowing his eyes to travel lower, Reiner realized what Bertholdt was so intently staring at.

Scars lined his body, some adorning his back and arms, and some appearing on his legs. From what Reiner could see of his reflection, he caught a few that rested on Bertholdt’s chest. Some were larger than others; some were more prominent. A horizontal gash rested on Bertholdt’s nape, and Reiner couldn’t help but wonder how much pain his friend had gone through when it had appeared. 

Breathing out and tearing his eyes away, Bertholdt’s shoulders slumped as he pulled the shirt on over his head and removed his towel to pull on the sweatpants. They were a bit big and hung loosely on his hips, but not by much.

Turning around to face Reiner, Bertholdt found him gazing with wide eyes and a slack jaw, brows raised high on his forehead. He looked like he had seen a ghost or something. Tilting his head, Bertholdt wondered if something was wrong, and found himself caught off guard when Reiner grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. Tumbling onto the mattress, he made a grunt of protest, trying to sit up and failing to do so when Reiner practically held him down to inspect his arms and shoulders. Head spinning with confusion, Bertholdt tried to escape, but Reiner’s hold was strong.

“What are these from?” he finally asked when Bertholdt whimpered, his tone of voice filled with both awe and worry. Realizing what the question was about, Bertholdt turned his head away, fingers curling into the bed sheets as Reiner asked again when he wasn’t given an answer. Were they that noticeable? Were they ugly? Having no way of replying, all he could do was lay there, glaring at the wall with pursed lips, his body on fire with embarrassment. He wanted Reiner’s eyes off of him. He didn’t want these questions at all.

He reached up and managed to shove Reiner away, getting off the bed and going to the living room. When Reiner tried to follow, he held a hand up, silently telling him to stay. Grimacing, noting the harsh vibe that came off of his friend, Reiner remained still as the other went to retrieve his laptop.

Returning to Reiner, he opened a new document and only typed a few words, letting Reiner read it over and trying his best to ignore the concerned look that followed right after. 

_“They’re nothing.”_

“Obviously not,” Reiner responded after a few beats passed, not satisfied with that answer. He scooted closer, his breath brushing Bertholdt’s cheek. His jaw clenched when Reiner continued. “Come on, what are they?”

 _“Is it really your business knowing?”_ The reply was quick and Bertholdt still didn’t look at him, his fingers curling into his palms as he waited for Reiner to start talking again.

Realizing how intrusive he was sounding, Reiner let up a bit, him being the one to look away this time. His gaze lowered and he mumbled a small apology, hoping he hadn’t offended his friend or hurt his feelings or anything along those lines. He looked pitiful. Feeling something sting in Bertholdt’s chest, his shoulders slumped in defeat. At least he cares enough to ask, he thought. Peeking at the other man with delicate eyes, he began to type again.

_“It was a car accident.”_

Reiner let that process and sat back, chewing at the inside of his cheek before replying. “Seriously?” 

_“Yes. I don’t really like talking about it.”_

“I understand,” he murmured, feeling his face heat up. Some friend he was. “We all have things we don’t like bringing up. Sorry for forcing that out of you.”

Bertholdt only nodded and didn’t type anything else, and Reiner fell silent, feeling like the air had gone stale around them. Neither of them had the right words. Reiner was still curious, and Bertholdt was still unwilling. What _could_ be said?

Growing tired of the uncomfortable moment, and maybe just tired as a whole, Reiner let out a heavy sigh and looked directly at his friend, regarding him with tender eyes. It had been four months since they had first met. Perhaps a comforting touch could be welcomed at this point. 

He reached over and gently put a hand on Bertholdt’s forearm. The other jumped a bit and allowed himself to glance over, flushing at the smile on Reiner’s lips. Relaxing when he felt a comforting squeeze, he scooted closer with little hesitation. After all, Reiner was a kind man with a charming personality. Being drawn to him was nothing new.

“Uh, I think these are pretty cool looking,” he started, not looking into Bertholdt’s eyes, urging himself to find the right words. “Like, a car accident is some pretty serious stuff. And, uh, some people don’t make it out of those situations! But you did! And that’s really neat and all.” This didn’t sound right. “Just-- I want you to know that you can always tell me things. I consider us pretty good friends and stuff. I know we’re not super close or anything yet, but I’m willing to be more open if you are. Like, have heart to hearts and that mushy junk, ya know?” He gestured between them, grinning sheepishly when Bertholdt’s expression changed to that of confusion.

When it got down to it, Reiner wasn’t the most eloquent person Bertholdt had met in his life. If he had to describe what Reiner had just said, it was like the man was speaking incredibly considerate and compassionate words with his foot in his mouth. Those words were enough to make the corners of Bertholdt’s lips rise into a smile, and he unconsciously leaned into Reiner’s touch, not replying immediately. He was just happy that Reiner truly cared and truly wanted to try his best. With a light, hardly noticeable snort, Bertholdt nodded and began to type on his laptop again.

_“I am willing to be more open. And I will be. Just not right now. I don’t even really talk about this with Annie, as it happened so long ago. But, perhaps, in due time.”_

That was answer enough to put a vibrant grin back on Reiner’s face, a wave of relief washing over him. He patted Bertholdt’s shoulder and promptly lay back down, his eyes closing as exhaustion took him once again.

For a while, Bertholdt gazed down at his friend, wondering just how the man’s thoughts even worked, and why he had such a keen interest in finding out more about Bertholdt. Thinking that it didn’t matter in that moment, Bertholdt took the opportunity to lie beside Reiner, sighing as the other peeked his eyes open. He wore a silly grin. It was definitely infectious, as Bertholdt found himself returning it before rolling over so they weren’t face to face any longer.

Imitating his friend, Reiner did the same and was soon out of it, his snores filling the silent room. Bertholdt listened for a while and scooted closer, pressing their backs together before he finally closed his eyes, letting himself be lulled into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent a lot of time editing this chapter and it was awful. Went from 1700 starting words to 4000. Oof.  
> Hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to give kudos and comments! Thank you!  
> p.s. these two didn't even eat any of the cookies. what a waste am i right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me.

It was after that night spent sleeping next to each other, a night that seemed to severely change their relationship with a gentle touch and quiet tone, that Bertholdt found himself staying at Reiner’s more and more frequently. Between video games and seemingly endless conversations that typically lead to nowhere, the two were adding up to be something of inseparable friends. Reiner’s employees easily noted that and enjoyed exploiting it with coos and giggles, much to the embarrassment of the two men in focus. In Bertholdt’s opinion, Reiner’s weak denial generally made the situations even worse, but the faintly red flush that dusted his cheeks was terribly appealing. 

Maybe Bertholdt was just a sadist.

A routine was born shortly after. On off days, they would meet up and spend their time together. They alternated between heading into the city, or just lazing around in either of their homes, feet kicked up on the coffee tables and maybe a beer or two. With the latter, those days usually ended with them sharing the bed, just a bit cramped from the two terribly large bodies, but they were usually too exhausted to even care. 

Reiner found out that Bertholdt was a restless sleeper, judging from his constant shifting and jerky limb movements that gave Reiner more than just a few bruises. Bertholdt always apologized profusely for it and offered to sleep on the sofa instead, but Reiner waved it off without a care. At one point, he admitted to Bertholdt that he enjoyed the radiating warmth that he emitted. Bertholdt had gone tightlipped at that comment.

There were times when Annie joined them, Bertholdt always encouraging her to be a little more social. Thanks to that, her and Reiner had slowly grown closer, and Annie secretly shared little bits of information with Reiner about their friend. Bertholdt managed to find out somehow and requested that Reiner forget anything Annie said, but it was hard to do just that. Those little tidbits ranged from Bertholdt still sleeping with a special stuffed lion toy that his mother had bought him when he was only six, to him volunteering at animal shelters in neighboring towns, and Reiner sure as hell wasn’t willing to push those images out of his mind. 

In their increased time together, Bertholdt had begun to take indirect lessons on cooking and baking from Reiner, seeing as how he could hardly prepare a decent meal for himself. Anytime he was over, it was always something with the shorter man. Whether it was some fancy sounding lasagna that Bertholdt had never heard of, or layered cakes with special whipped frosting, he never failed to have something prepared while his friend was visiting. Really, he was beginning to feel a bit spoiled and pointed it out, but Reiner denied anything like that, stating that it was normal for friends to treat each other kindly. Despite those words, he did grow red in the face. So he hadn’t even realized it himself, Bertholdt had thought. 

Both were happy over this blooming friendship. With Reiner’s arms behind his head and Bertholdt curled up into a ball on the sofa, they spoke of idle things in their pasts, like their parents, old friends, jobs, anything. Bertholdt learned that Reiner was fairly popular during his high school and university days, judging from the countless photos and memoirs he possessed of those years. The other man seemed to look back on them fondly, and wore a broad grin as he spoke of those times. 

It wasn’t hard for Bertholdt to notice that Reiner had an especially soft look towards pictures that held the image of another young man with dark hair and a spectacular smile that rivaled even Reiner’s. They were always next to each other, arms thrown around one another’s shoulders, sometimes making goofy faces. Adding to that, there framed photos of Reiner and the other boy scattered throughout the man’s home, and at one point Bertholdt wondered when he would stop finding new ones. Curiosity sparked itself within him and he constantly tried to work up the courage to ask about this other boy, but instead, he just hoped that Reiner would point him out specifically one day. 

He never did. Bertholdt never asked.

It was when May began that the two had realized that almost seven months had passed since their sloppy first meeting. As minuscule as that sounded, Reiner was glad they had kept up for that long, and Bertholdt felt the same. Seeing as how they could be considered vast opposites, it came as a surprise, really. Miraculously, through small events and meetings and late night conversations, they discovered their similarities and were able to continue their friendship with ease.

One of those said events was when they ran across each other at the local gym, Bertholdt being on the treadmill and Reiner with weights in his hands. Reiner knew that Bertholdt was pretty muscular guy, but he didn’t expect the man to be a regular at a gym or anything like that. Bertholdt confessed that it was only a recent thing that he started going, though he had always enjoyed working out, having been on both the track and basketball teams in his high school years.

After finding one another, they decided it was time for a not actually needed break. Taking a seat with water bottles in hand, they silently watched Annie at the punching bag for a few minutes, admiring her swift movements and fierce concentration. Bertholdt explained to Reiner that he and Annie were like gym buddies, so when he went, she would join, and vice versa. Reiner was admittedly shocked to see how strong the small woman really was. It was actually very admirable. He told that to Bertholdt, a hint of excitement in his tone, and the other agreed wholeheartedly. 

Returning to Bertholdt, Annie was surprised to find Reiner beside him, and she gave a small nod in his direction. As she grabbed for her water bottle, Bertholdt told Reiner that she was actually pleased to see him, which earned him a light punch to the shoulder. When she took her seat, the three began a conversation, and they agreed to attend the gym in a group at some point. After their little chat, Annie headed home with a simple wave in their direction, leaving the men alone. Bertholdt waved back to her as she left, then turned to Reiner with a smile. He was sweating buckets, Reiner noticed. He didn’t take Bertholdt for someone who could possibly work that hard.

“How long do you plan on sticking around?” Reiner asked, resting his elbows on his knees, brow cocked up. Bertholdt shrugged as an answer. “Well, how ‘bout we go together? We could get some food if ya want.”

_“Sounds good to me. I’m starving, actually.”_ Reiner grinned at his screen and nodded, feeling a bit triumphant. 

“If that’s the case, then we should head to my place instead! I’ll whip up some dinner for us.” Bertholdt could only smile at the usual offer as he stood, stretching his arms above his head and hearing his joints pop. He had learned quickly that Reiner took any chance he was given to show off his culinary skills.

Staying for just a bit longer, the two went to the locker rooms and took use of the showers before changing into their regular clothes. Side by side, they headed to Reiner’s home, Reiner being sure to stop in at a few of the stores to have a quick chat with the owners, as he normally did. Bertholdt could only be amazed at how well received the other man was amongst the people in the town. That was to be expected, though. Reiner was outgoing, kind to everyone, a real charmer. Bertholdt definitely admired those qualities, perhaps even envied them. If it hadn’t been for them, they wouldn’t have become as close as they were. 

Not being friends with Reiner? That thought alone made Bertholdt’s stomach twist with discomfort. 

After the fairly short journey to Reiner’s home, Bertholdt claimed his usual spot on the sofa and pulled out his laptop, opening up a few documents and typing away at them with brows knit together and tongue peeking out from between his lips. Not long was left until he would be graduating from the university, and it had left him some free time to write whatever he felt like. Falling into a deep concentration with eyes dead set on the screen, he grunted a thank you to Reiner as a glass of water was set on the coffee table in front of him. 

Giving Bertholdt a single glance, Reiner let a chuckle slip out. The other had an amazing determination in his eyes as his fingers moved quickly across the keyboard, his tongue sometimes clicking in disdain if he made a mistake. Reiner always wanted to know what Bertholdt so furiously typed up, but whenever he tried to sneak a glance, Bertholdt was quick to switch to something else, definitely not allowing that to happen.

Deciding to let Bertholdt have his alone time with that precious laptop of his, Reiner headed for his kitchen, beginning to prepare a meal for the two of them. Something easy was for the best. Really, Reiner hadn’t had the easiest time concentrating.

His thoughts were more focused on Bertholdt. In fact, it had been like that for a good while now. There was definitely something special about the man. Something that Reiner was entranced by. He had little habits that Reiner had noticed throughout their time together, such as licking his lips constantly, picking at his fingernails, or scratching the nape of his neck where one of his scars rested. How he would stroke his chin when he was deep in thought, fidget uncomfortably when he was growing impatient and anxious, draw his lips into a thin line if something aggravated him. Reiner smiled at the thoughts and a light laugh left him. 

With dinner finished, Reiner returned to the living room and joined Bertholdt on the sofa. The other snapped out of his concentration and gave a nod of appreciation as he was handed a plate, a polite smile showing. Reiner grinned and turned the TV on, the both of them listening to the news as they ate, not finding any interest in the reports. Bertholdt was the first to finish and immediately returned to his work on the laptop, setting his empty plate aside, his brows furrowing once again. Reiner eventually began watching him type instead, eyes drifting over to the screen. Bertholdt didn’t initially notice that he was being observed, but when he did, he flushed and turned the computer away. Reiner huffed, lower lip jutting out in a pout.

“Why won’t ya let me read your stuff?” he asked, scooting closer until Bertholdt was pressed to the arm at the end of the couch. “You’re majoring in creative writing! Shouldn’t that mean that you would want people to read what you write?” Bertholdt pursed his lips, leering at Reiner, totally unimpressed. Reiner kept going strong, though. “I’m always watchin’ you type things up, but I’ve never once gotten to see what goes on in that head of yours! You probably have a huge imagination, right?” 

Averting his gaze to anywhere but Reiner, Bertholdt eventually exhaled through his nostrils and pulled up a new document, typing out his message. _“It’s true that I’m majoring in it, but I don’t think my works are ready to be read yet.”_

“Is that really the sort of mindset a future author should have?” Reiner grumbled, crossing his arms. To him, talents were meant to be shared. Bertholdt only shrugged. 

_“I wouldn’t say future author. That’s a far off dream. As much as I want it to happen, I don’t think I’m cut out for the position. I would happily settle with something more easily attainable.”_

Reading over the words, a heavy frown grew, Reiner’s eyes narrowing. That was definitely unacceptable. Giving up in general was unacceptable. Reaching over, he pinched Bertholdt’s ear, earning a pained squeak from the other man and a weak slap at Reiner’s shoulder. Reiner was lucky that Bertholdt’s glare was unthreatening, those soft eyes doing nothing to frighten him. Grabbing at Bertholdt’s hand, Reiner squeezed it firmly, and Bertholdt went tense. He didn’t pull back, though, only waited for what Reiner had to say.

“Don’t you dare say that,” he spoke, voice quiet. “If you say that, then you definitely aren’t cut out for it. Have a little bit of pride! It won’t hurt you.” Obviously caught off guard by Reiner’s words of wisdom, Bertholdt tried to tug away from him, but Reiner wouldn’t allow it. Somehow, this felt too familiar. “Ya see, I always thought that I wasn’t gonna amount to much either. Other than being a people person, there wasn’t much else to me, other than my talent for cooking and sports. People always told me I was gonna go far if I followed a career in athletics or something, but I didn’t want that. I didn’t care about it all, actually. 

“Cooking was my thing, if it isn’t obvious now. But I thought that wouldn’t get me anywhere. I tried to do what other’s told me, but my friend stopped me from that, like I’m doing for you right now!” 

Reiner’s eyes were fierce as he spoke, and his voice passionate. Bertholdt relaxed as he listened, not having the will to pull his hand away anymore. Rather, he found himself returning the squeeze he had received, maybe returning it with more force than Reiner had. Reiner continued on, eventually becoming tongue tied in his encouragement, cursing quietly and trying to fix himself. Bertholdt listened with a tilted head and parted lips, totally mesmerized, his heart fluttering every so often. 

It wasn’t as if he didn’t receive encouragement from others. His mother and his professor voiced their opinions regularly, but Bertholdt always felt that was obligatory of them, so it never really worked in boosting his confidence. But it was different with Reiner. His tone was so driven, and though he was running out of words to say, Bertholdt knew that it was having some sort of effect. Really, he just felt excited, enthralled, that Reiner had this kind of belief in him when he hadn’t even seen what Bertholdt was capable of. Maybe it was just a blind accusation, or Reiner using some kind of tunnel vision, but it felt incredible, these words of his. 

Finally, Reiner had gone silent, face burning. There was no use in going on if it wasn’t even leaving any kind of positive imprint on the other. He was wrong, though. It had done so much. Lowering his eyes, he turned his head away. How embarrassing. Surely Bertholdt thought him an idiot. Those thoughts filled his mind and only amplified when Bertholdt pulled his hand away from Reiner’s loosened grip. Reiner swallowed thickly, about to apologize when he was cut off by Bertholdt’s arms wrapping around his shoulders, tugging him closer.

The embrace was fairly short, but when Bertholdt tugged away from him, he wore a wide smile and his cheeks were flushed. Reiner felt butterflies explode in his stomach, finding this sort of expression from Bertholdt almost beautiful in a way. He was quick to come back with his own radiant grin, laughing sheepishly. Turning back to his laptop, eyes darting to get one more glance at Reiner, Bertholdt began to type again. 

_“Thank you for that. I’m sorry for being so stubborn. I just get embarrassed.”_ Another peek at Reiner before continuing. _“I’ll let you read my works, if you really want to. Don’t try giving any false flattery, though. Be painfully honest. I prefer it that way.”_

Reiner’s eyes shone at the words on the screen. He looked to Bertholdt, beaming as he practically shoved himself onto the other man in another hug. This one lasted longer, Bertholdt slowly returning it, rubbing at Reiner’s back cautiously. When they separated, all they could do was stare at each other, the silence in the room seeming to grow, even if the space between them certainly didn’t. Bertholdt’s heartbeat sped up, this sudden close vicinity making him go a bit dizzy in the head, and he blushed when he knew that Reiner had noticed.

“Getting all shy?” Reiner asked, eyes glinting in amusement. Bertholdt shook his head, but made no move to pull away, either. Reiner only chuckled, thoughts beginning to mix up and mesh together. Bertholdt truly was handsome, wasn’t he? Reiner had always known that, yes, but being this near the other man only helped to make such thoughts intensify. 

He must have gotten caught up in those ideas, because the next thing he knew, he had Bertholdt’s hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him away. Reiner flushed, noting that Bertholdt was doing the same, gaze already averted. Out of each other’s arms, they turned their bodies away from one another. Just what had that even been? What had Reiner been thinking? Twiddling his thumbs, he glanced back at Bertholdt, his brows knitted together. Bertholdt had taken to watching him closely, causing his heart to skip a beat in panic.

“S-sorry,” he stammered out, looking to his lap, hands folded together. Surely that had been enough to freak Bertholdt out. “I sometimes get like that. Just hit me next time or something.” 

He heard Bertholdt type something, but he was hesitant to look over. _“It’s fine. I used to be the same way.”_

Well, that definitely piqued Reiner’s interest. 

“You? The flirty type?” He paused. “I wasn’t flirting just then, was I? I think I was, but that can be debated on, right?” Bertholdt snorted, raising a brow at him. 

_“I guess I was once more flirtatious than it would seem. Mostly in my early college years. I blame the raging hormones of a young man.”_ He looked to Reiner, who was waiting for more explanation. Bertholdt figured it was fine to tell the other. Maybe he would understand. _“I mean, I’m not exactly bad looking. I guess a lot of people noticed that. Some said I had an air about me. Whatever that air was, I have no idea. I just know that I was buttered up easily and always woke up in someone else’s bed.”_

“Seriously?” This was coming as a shock to Reiner, but he was more amazed at how calm Bertholdt seemed to be about it. “So, you slept around a lot?”

_“Yeah. It can be looked down upon, I know, but I never regretted it. As long as it felt good, that was all that mattered, and the other person and I would depart as acquaintances. Sometimes, though, we would contact each other and meet up again, but not often. I don’t know when it stopped, but I was probably twenty when it did. That’s when I decided to buckle down and actually focus on my aspirations.”_

“So you never had a serious relationship?” Reiner asked, mouth agape. Bertholdt shook his head. “That’s definitely something. I didn’t take you to be the type.” Catching himself, he spoke quickly, not wanting to offend his friend. “Not that it’s a bad type or anything! I just wouldn’t expect it from you.” Snorting, Bertholdt nodded, understanding what he was getting at.

_“Most wouldn’t.”_

“But that kinda leads me to another question,” Reiner mumbled. Bertholdt waited. “Have you ever considered a serious relationship?” 

_“It’s crossed my mind, but I’m not quite as out there as some people. I’m afraid my partner would get tired of me.”_ Though he was putting himself down, he kept a smile, but it did falter at some point. _“But I wouldn’t mind having a serious relationship, at least once. It would be nice.”_

“Tired of you?” Reiner repeated the words and shook his head. “If they get tired of ya, then they’re not trying hard enough at all! I admit, I thought there wasn’t much to you when we first started getting to know each other, but I was wrong. There’s no way I would get tired of you.” 

_“Maybe not you, but others aren’t as willing to persevere. Still, I appreciate those thoughts.”_ Something about Reiner’s words definitely lifted his spirits, more so than he would admit to. Just knowing that Reiner of all people wouldn’t get bored with him—Well, it was easy on the ears. Not thinking clearly, he added to the message. _“Maybe you and I should just date, huh?”_

Who knew that pixelated words could make Reiner’s heart beat so fast? Yes, he was well aware that the other was kidding around, judging by that smug grin he wore, but that didn’t stop it from being embarrassing. Embarrassing, but not a bad idea. Reiner forced a laugh, cursing himself at just how nervous he sounded. In the end, he wasn’t even sure if Bertholdt liked men, but he hadn’t made a mention as to what sex he was interested in when talking about those past flings of his. 

“Yeah, maybe we should,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Ah, Bertholdt thought, what an endearing reaction. Just how easy was it to get this man so flustered? 

_“Anyways, didn’t you want to read my writings? I need to head home, but I can send the files to your email later. Is that alright?”_ Bertholdt was one to sense a change in the atmosphere with ease, and changed the topic to pull Reiner out of his stupor.

“Definitely!” Now brimming with excitement, Reiner perked up, all tension between them dissolving into thin air. Bertholdt snorted and stood, gathering his things up and stuffing them into his satchel. 

It was on his way out that he leaned down again to give Reiner another hug, this one tight and lingering, his nose buried into the other man’s shoulder. It was a way of thanking Reiner, he supposed. Pulling away, their eyes met, still for a good few moments before Bertholdt turned and left, not even offering a wave of goodbye, nor a nod. 

Shutting the door behind, Reiner pressed his back to the wooden surface, rubbing at his forehead with an exasperated sigh. For the rest of the evening, thoughts of Bertholdt remained, and they certainly weren’t leaving anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just how overdue is this? I'm really the worst, aren't I?  
> I noticed that Bertholdt is very proper when he types. It's kind of cute, right?


End file.
